Pandora's Box
by Mindful Demon
Summary: Neither of them were ever very fond of decisions. But when to love is to loose, what choice do they have? Fabian/Nina, Joy/Patricia. Rated M for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

"Look! There she is!" Patricia whispered urgently.

Joy was on the other side of the cellar, kneeling by the wall. Anger flared in Patricia's eyes as she saw the tight-fitting metal collar around Joy's slender neck, linked to a strong-looking chain that was tethered to a ring on the wall. Wearing street clothes, skinny jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was staring at the floor, and her hands appeared to be bound together with piece of rope.

Nina watched as Victor walked over to his prisoner. Patricia could see his mouth moving, but none of them seemed able to tell what he was actually saying; whatever it was, it seemed to upset Joy, because she moved to stand up, scowling. But as she jumped up, the chain binding her to the wall snapped taught; she gasped in discomfort as she was yanked backwards by her neck, falling to her knees.

Patricia felt the rage inside her grow like a wildfire as her hands curled into fists. She turned to Nina. "We have to get her out of there!" she growled quietly. Nina nodded, a look of fear on her face.

"I know. But we can't right now, Victor will..."

"...catch us." Fabian finished seamlessly, and Patricia rolled her eyes. They were finishing each other's sentences again, a sickeningly 'cute' habit that they had taken to over the last few days. The thought of Fabian and Nina as a couple brought her back to the reason she was here in the first place, Joy.

"Alright, so what are we going to do then? Just let them kill her?" Patricia demanded, desperation in her voice. "I won't have it! She needs me!"

Amber looked back and forth between Fabian and Nina, then over at Patricia. "Guys, I think Patricia's right. I mean, what if Victor, like, sucks her brain out or something?"

Fabian looked at her flatly. "Amber, they're not going to suck out her brain." Then, in a more reassuring tone, "All Victor wants to do is 'unite the cup with the chosen one.' Joy will be fine. It'll be okay."

Amber didn't seem convinced. Patricia seemed to ignore his words completely.

"Fabian, Nina, look at the state of her! They're hurting her! They've got her chained to the wall by her neck like some sort of fucking slave!" she said fiercely. "We _have_ to help her!"

Nina stared at her incredulously. "Patricia, did you just..."

"Yeah, I did, okay? I just cursed, big deal! You would think that someone would have already done that by now, but apparently not, so yeah, I cursed! Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! You happy now? Can we move on?"

Fabian blinked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, are we going to save her or not?" Patricia demanded.

"I... we don't have a plan." Nina stuttered, still a little shocked.

Patricia gave her a tiny smile. "Well then lets get a plan, yeah?" she said, sounding slightly more pleasant. But there was still a hint of ice in her voice, as if she wanted to make sure that Nina knew she meant business.

Nina hesitated, then nodded solemnly.

"Alright."

* * *

**_A/N: I want you to think of my story as a piece of pizza. When I'm eating the pizza, I'm writing. At first, the pizza's tasty and warm and really fun to eat. But then, I get bored with eating it so i leave it out on the kitchen table. It gets cold and I really don't want to eat it. Your reviews are the microwave oven, and they keep the pizza fun and interesting to eat._**

**_Yeah?_**

**_I know I'm totally insane, but that's the fun part, no? XD_**

**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"We need some way to distract him." Fabian whispered thoughtfully. "Nina, do you think you could run in and pull the hood down over Victor's eyes?"

Nina shook her head emphatically. "No way! And besides, the other teachers would still see!" she said firmly. Chewing nervously on her lower lip, she glanced over at Patricia. "Any ideas?"

"We could turn off the lights!" Amber said happily, looking extremely proud of herself.

Fabian frowned. "No, no, that won't work. The room's lit with candles, not electricity. But that was good thinking anyway, Amber. If only there was some way to blow out all the candles at once?"

He found his eyes wandering over to Nina as he spoke, as if praying that she would have the answer. She almost always did, after all; her killer intuition didn't leave much to be desired. His eyes lingered on Nina for a moment longer, and he smiled slightly at the way she was chewing her lip. He swore that it was one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen.

"We _could_..."

Patricia whipped around. She'd been watching the ceremony, but now she looked terrified. "Nina!"

"Oh no!" Nina gasped, "guys, times up! It's starting!"

"No!" Patricia whispered, her expression one of despair.

Suddenly, the lights flickered out.

Patricia sprang to her feet, a look of grim determination in her fierce green eyes. "That's it! I've got to do something!" she hissed, "Fabian, cover me!"

"Patricia, no!" Nina exclaimed in alarm, reaching out to stop her. But Patricia was already on the other side of the cellar, creeping slowly towards Joy and sticking to the shadows, her back pressed against the wall. Victor was advancing on Joy as well, raising the cup over his head as he began to chant; the cup had begun to emanate an eerie red glow, and the room seemed to be pulsating, waves of energy radiating from the glowing artifact. Nina cringed, glancing over at Patricia. It was near impossible to see the girl in the dark, but she seemed to be making good progress.

"Oh, I can't watch!" Amber squealed, shutting her eyes and turning away. "Oh, I wish Alfie was here! Why couldn't we just have a normal prom night like everyone else?"

Fabian, ignoring Amber, looked over at Nina. She was starting to panic.

"She's not going to make it! Victor's too close!" she realized in horror. Victor was standing a mere two feet in front of Joy, and Joy shied away as Victor advanced, pressing her back to the wall as if hoping it might swallow her whole. All was quiet but for Victor's chanting and the pulsating of the cup, the, ll of a sudden,

"No!"

Patricia had stepped in front of him, shielding Joy from view; there was a moment of complete silence during which neither of them moved, and they both shared the look of a deer in the headlights. But then Patricia recovered, doing the only thing she _could_ do; Victor staggered as Patricia's right hook hit home, sending him reeling. She seemed to be in shock. _Did I really just punch Victor? I think I did!_

The world exploded in a chaos of movement and shouting. Fabian had jumped up, tackling Joy's father to the floor as Nina scrambled to avoid Mr. Sweet and grab the cup; Amber was vainly chasing after Mrs. Andrews, who was trying to fight her off, and Patricia was struggling to free Joy.

The tides had turned, and the teachers seemed to be in shock. Nina had the cup, Patricia Williamson had knocked their leader out cold... they didn't know what to do, didn't know what they _could_ do. Fabian revealed that he had discarded the elixir long ago, and with this revelation, the teachers seemed to disband. Some were lingering as if unsure what to do, others were trying to apologize, and a few of them had merely fled from the cellar in the instant that they realized Nina had the cup.

As Mrs. Andrews handed Patricia the key to Joy's collar, she sighed.

"That's quite a girl you've got yourself, Mercer. Congratulations."

Joy raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, no, we're not..." she began, blushing and looking flustered.

"Oh, of course. Forgive me." Mrs. Andrews said. "I just assumed... I apologize."

Patricia glared at the french teacher. "Sorry, not possible. Just be happy we're not calling the cops! How dare you stand here trying to make small talk with the girl you chained up and nearly killed?"

Mrs. Andrews was silent.

"Yeah, thought so. Now clear out, you're _anything_ but wanted here."

Patricia set Joy free, helping her up and giving her that signature smirk of hers. But then she glanced around, as if wanting to make sure that no one was watching. Once she was content that no one was, The Smirk turned into a genuine smile, and she pulled Joy into a hug. "God, I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Joy smiled as Patricia took a step back.

"I've missed you too." she said quietly. "How on earth did you find me?"

Patricia glanced over at Nina and Fabian. "Those two. They're probably the most painfully obvious couple in the books, and they make a great team, too."

Joy grinned. "Fabe's finally gone and got himself a girlfriend, then? That's great! About time, too."

Patricia rolled her eyes. "I know, right? But they're not officially together yet; we've been trying to get him to ask Nina to the prom all week long, but he just keeps chickening out!"

Joy shook her head in disapproval. "Classic." she muttered, "just classic. Well, we'll see about that, looks like he might be about to ask her now!"

On the other side of the room, Nina, Fabian, and Amber had gathered around the cup.

"Well, this is it." Nina said at last. "The cup of Ankh. What do you think we should do with it?"

"Hide it." Fabian said immediately, "It's nothing but trouble."

"Yeah! I mean, just look what it's done to my manicure!" Amber said indignantly, holding her hands out for everyone to see.

Nina rolled her eyes, smiling. "Of course. That would be your reason. Anyway, Fabian, I think you're right. We should hide this thing. It's more trouble than it's worth, and Joy almost died because of it!"

Amber smiled widely, hopping up and down excitedly. "Ooh, ooh, I know just the place! How about under the stage in school?"

Fabian nodded. "Great idea, Amber. How about you go put it there? And be careful, okay?"

The blond nodded. "Of course! I'm always careful!"

As she turned and skipped away with the cup in tow, Nina laughed that quiet laugh, the one that Fabian was so fond of. It seemed to flick a switch in his head, reminding him of something important.

"Nina, I just wanted to ask if you..."

"Yes!" Nina said hurriedly.

Fabian frowned. "Wait, now I don't know if you said yes to what I was actually going to ask, or if... Nina, will you go...to prom, with... me?" he asked meekly.

Nina squeaked. "Yes! Yes, I will!"

"Okay, good, because... wait, yes? Yes?"

"Yes!" Nina repeated, feeling her heart melt at that adorable look of disbelief on Fabian's face. "Now come on, let's go, I'm sure everyone's wondering where we are!"

Fabian smiled widely, finding it difficult not to shout out in victory. "Yes, Nina. Lets go. Joy, Patricia, are you coming?"

"Definitely." the two said at once, then looked at each other in faint surprise before starting to laugh. "Definitely."

* * *

**A/N: It's not over yet, not by a long shot! Every time you review, a rainbow kitten that can shoot lazerbeams is born. And who doesn't love lazer-shooting rainbow-kitties?**

**Nobody, that's who!**


	3. Chapter 3

"God, I'm dying of thirst!" Patricia complained, looking over at Joy. Everyone was dancing and having fun, and a rather large part of her wanted nothing more than to slap each and every one of them out of their coma. How was it possible that _no one _knew what had just gone down in that cellar just a few meters away? It seemed ridiculous. Her thoughts wandered back to what Mrs. Andrews had said. 'you've got yourself quite the girl there, Mercer.' She wasn't really sure what to make of the comment, but the strangest thing was that when Joy had shot down the teacher's theory, she'd felt a tiny spark of disappointment. Pushing the troublesome thought to the back of her mind, she turned to Joy. "Joy, you want to come get a drink with me?"

"Yeah sure. Lets..."

"Now, what everyone's been waiting for, it's time to announce the prom king and prom queen!" Amber said happily as she jumped up on stage. Patricia and Joy stopped mid-stride, turning to look. This was going to be interesting, no matter who was chosen. "Now, since we didn't actually have time to vote, i get to pick!"

The crowd groaned collectively, and Joy rolled her eyes, chuckling. _Typical Amber._ she thought to herself, glancing at Patricia out of the corner of her eye. The dark-haired girl was wearing The Smirk again, but Joy could tell that Patricia was just as amused by Amber's antics as she was, even if she didn't show it.

"So without further ado, this year's prom king is..."

Alfie had begun to step forward, expecting to be the obvious choice, but Amber's next words shocked everyone:

"Fabian Rutter!"

Fabian looked around, apparently shocked, then turned to look at Nina. She was smiling widely, and she gave him an encouraging shrug, mouthing _go on, then._ Snapping out of it, Fabian nodded, stepping up on stage, taking the crown from Amber and putting it on his head with a nervous grin.

"And this year's prom queen is Nina Martin!"

Nina's jaw dropped, and Fabian smiled to himself as he watched her cheeks turn a light shade of pink; nothing was more adorable in his book than an embarrassed Nina Martin. _His _embarrassed Nina Martin.

Nina stepped up on stage, taking the crown and sitting down next to Fabian as a romantic, slow song came on. But Amber wasn't finished with them yet, turning to Fabian and whispering,

"You two dance now!"

"Oh!" Fabian said quietly, surprised and embarrassed.

_At least now their cheeks match. _Patricia thought, smiling to herself. Despite the fact that they could be sickeningly cheesy sometimes, she wasn't going to deny that Nina and Fabian were actually very cute together.

The two started to dance, although it was more of an awkward shuffle, with Nina stepping on Fabian's toes as she tried to get her footing.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, and he smiled warmly.

"Nina, you look..."

"Ridiculous, i know." Nina interrupted, her cheeks burning. She looked at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

"No. I was going to say... I was going to say beautiful, Nina. You look beautiful." he said softly, and she looked up at him, disbelief written all over her face.

"Did you just... Did you just call me beautiful?" she whispered, meeting his eyes. he nodded quietly.

"Yeah, I think I did."

Almost unconsciously, Nina leaned in, eyes half shut, and Fabian met her half way.

When their lips met, it was as if someone had lit an entire crate of fireworks in his head. He was on fire, all he could feel was her lips against his. It started off soft, tentative, then became confident as she realized he was kissing back. It was like her brain had short circuited. She was kissing Fabian Rutter! She was kissing him, and he was kissing back. Certainly, this must be heaven. She could hardly believe it was actually happening.

When they finally broke apart, they were both gasping for breath. "Wow..." Fabian whispered, star-struck.

"Wow." Nina agreed, nodding blankly. "We should probably... dance more, now?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Fabian said, still on cloud nine.

Out in the crowd, Joy was giggling. It was a relief to finally see Fabian with someone who really cared about him. She turned to look at Patricia, who was staring wistfully at the bowl of fruit punch on the table by the side of the room.

"You still want to get a drink?" she asked.

Patricia nodded. "Yeah, definitely. Lets go, I'm dying here!"

They made their way through the crowd as quickly as possible, and Patricia was moving so fast that she was practically dragging Joy behind her. When they finally got to the table, Patricia wasted no time, thirstily downing three cups of punch. Once she was finished, she turned to Joy and handed her a cup, smiling. "Joy, this stuff's great! You've got to try some!"

Joy took a sip of the drink, nodding appreciatively. "Wow, you're right! This is incredible! I wonder what's in it?"

"Who cares?" Patricia reasoned, taking another drink. Joy grinned.

"Good point. Now come on, I bet somebody's missing us!"

"Totally." Patricia agreed. "I know, lets go tease Mick! That's always fun!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Later that night..._

It was two o'clock, and the party had finally started to wind down. Nina and Fabian had thrown in the towel at twelve, saying they had somewhere to go, (no one had believed them for an instant, of course) and now everyone was slowly starting to trickle out through the main doors of the building.

"Tonight was fun." Joy said through a yawn as she and Patricia walked up the stairs. They were both exhausted, and they were looking forward to a much-needed night of sleep. Half way through the party it had been revealed that some idiots from the year above had spiked the punch with MDMA, and even though the effects of the drug were wearing off, they were both still feeling it a little.

"Yeah." Patricia agreed. "it was great."

Unexpectedly, Joy stopped walking at the top of the stairs. Patricia's eyes widened and she tried to stop herself, but it was too late; with a startled squeak, she fell on top of the little brunette, pinning her to the ground. Something seemed to click in Patricia's head, and she found herself staring.

She swallowed, getting to her feet and helping Joy up.

"I'm sorry." she apologized. For some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Joy was staring at her, a tiny frown of concentration crinkling her brow. _She's just so adorable._ Patricia thought to herself, not even bothering to wonder why she was having such thoughts. "I'm sorry, I just... I just..."

"Tripped?" Joy whispered, her mouth dry.

Patricia nodded. "Yeah... I just..."

There was a moment of complete silence. Then Patricia was kissing her, and she was kissing her back. Patricia didn't know why she did it. All she knew was that she'd wanted to, and now that she was... well, it was indescribable. There were emotions coming to the surface that she'd never experienced before, emotions that she'd kept hidden for fear that if she dared show them, she'd loose her best friend. But all that fear was gone now. She was kissing _Joy Mercer, _and everything was right.

They broke apart, staring at each other as they gasped for breath.

"Patricia..." Joy whispered, looking slightly guilty, "It's just the drugs."

Patricia nodded.

Patricia leaned forward, capturing Joy's lips in another kiss. It was gentle and slow this time, and Joy pulled Patricia closer, gasping quietly into the kiss. She couldn't believe that she was sharing her first kiss with her best friend; and a girl, no less! But there was no use denying the way that Patricia was making her feel, that growing fire in the pit of her stomach that she'd only ever felt when she was alone, until now.

Patricia pulled away slowly, looking Joy in the eyes. "You like that." she whispered breathlessly, unable to believe it.

Joy looked at the floor, biting her lower lip nervously. Then she smiled, looking satisfied with herself. "You're gay." she said, and it wasn't a question, it was a statement. She turned and walked down the hall into her room, and Patricia watched her go, taking a deep breath. She was about to deny it, but she bit her tongue. She knew when she was beat.

Smiling slightly in amusement, she exhaled sharply. "Yes." she agreed breathlessly. "Yes, I am."

* * *

**A/N: Drama! And Fabina! Oh, and if you've got a problem with Joytricia, you should stop reading this story, because it's going to be just as important as Fabina is. **

**No flames please, because I'm a bit of a pyromaniac. As my saying goes, "When life gives you flames, turn them into _wildfires_ and shove them right up life's sorry ass!"**

**So... yeah. No flames, because life is already miserable enough as it is. And no one likes raging wildfires up their butt.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

Patricia was standing outside the school, scanning the throng of students for Joy's familiar face. She was wearing The Smirk, as she always was, because Patricia Williamson would never lower herself to admitting that she was high on expectations. But high on expectations she was; it was difficult to hide the smile that was threatening to break through. Joy had always done that to her, but it was more pronounced now than ever before. She caught a glimpse of Joy's familiar face in the crowd, and she gave her friend a small, rare, smile; but with the look that Joy gave her before purposefully disappearing back into the crowd, the smile soon disappeared. And for the first time in a long time, it wasn't replaced by The Smirk. It was replaced by a look of genuine disappointment. Patricia knew that she should have expected as much, but that didn't make it any easier. Because she was in love with Joy Mercer, her best friend, and there was nothing she could ever do to change that. With a quiet sigh, she turned and headed off to French.

Joy watched her go with a slight frown. She felt bad for avoiding her, but she wasn't quite ready to confront what had happened last night. She needed some time away from Patricia. She was pondering how she was going to go about doing that, seeing as Patricia was her roommate, but a familiar voice soon brought her spiraling back to the present.

"Hey Joy!"

She turned around. "Oh! Fabes. Hi." she said happily. "Where's Nina?"

"She went in early. I don't know why. I think she said she there was something she had to do."

"Hm. After a night like that, I'd have thought she'd have wanted to sleep in." Joy noted. "So, last day of school! Hard to believe, right?"

"Yes... I'm going to miss this place, after all we've been through here. But it must be even weirder for you, right? You've missed an awful lot."

"Yeah, it's really weird... weirder than you can imagine."

"So... do you have any plans for the vacation, then?"

Joy looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I mean, I was going to just go home, but I really don't want to be anywhere near my dad, or..." she trailed off, her mind immediately flying to her troubles with Patricia. "Well, I just need some time away from it all, you know? So I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

Fabian nodded. "That's too bad. Nina and I are probably going to spend the break at my grandfather's place."

Joy blinked, smiling pleasantly. She was desperately trying to conjure up some type of jealousy towards Nina, but she simply couldn't. She just didn't care about Fabian the way that he'd cared about her before she left. But still, she was confused, scared. Because there was no use denying the fact that she'd felt something when she'd kissed Patricia. But that had been her first kiss. She was in desperate need of something to compare it to, something to prove that what she'd felt was no more than a blip on the radar. "I don't think I've ever been to your grandfather's place, Fabian. What's it like?"

"Oh, it's awesome!" Fabian said excitedly. "It's down by the river. It's an old mansion, and it's so cool! It's like a castle!" he paused, looking thoughtful. "Hm, you know, if I asked, you could probably come along! If it's alright with my grandfather, would you want to come with us?"

Surprised, Joy smiled, nodding. "Definitely! That's be great!" she couldn't hide the spark of childish enthusiasm that made itself present in her voice.

Fabian grinned. "Right then, I'll ask. For now, we should get to French. It might be the last day of school, but what with me destroying the Elixir of Life and all, I bet Ms. Andrews will be out to get us anyway. Being late is the last thing we need!"

"Yeah," Joy said. Then, with a teasing glint in her eyes, she took off running, calling over her shoulder, "Race you there!"

Fabian laughed, shaking his head in amusement before running after her. "You're on!"

They'd made it half way to French when Mr. Sweet stepped in front of them, grabbing Joy by her shoulder as she sped past him and spinning her around. He gave them both a reproachful glance. "No running in the halls! You two should know better. Detention, after school. My office."

They nodded, smiles gone from their faces. Once he'd gone, Joy turned to Fabian, grinning apologetically. "Sorry."

Fabian shrugged. "It's okay, it was fun while it lasted." he hesitated, then, "Hey, Joy, would you want to hang out with me and Nina this weekend? You know, before we go away?"

"Sure!" she said happily as they walked into the French room. They took their seats.

Fifteen minutes into the period, Fabian was still smiling. It really was great to have Joy back. He found himself staring at her shamelessly, and suddenly, he was overwhelmed with guilt. The smile slowly disappeared from his face.

_Oh god. This can't be happening. I can't be, I shouldn't be... we're over, she left... I'm with Nina now! This is impossible. It can't be..._

_I still love her!_

_

* * *

_**A/N: Le gasp! And so the plot thickens, as they say! I need you to review, because your reviews are the cheese to my pizza, the icing to my cake, the tic to my tac... okay, I'm getting ridiculous now. But you get the point right? Your reviews are important. Every time you review, a toilet is genetically modified so that it can spew fire. And everyone loves fire-spewing toilets, right? Right. You know what? I bet that no one reads this anyway. I could probably write something totally random, and no one would even notice a thing. So now, for the daily reader-awareness test... Boobies!**

**Anybody read that? I doubt it. Now I'm depressed. Only your reviews will keep me from sitting down on a fire-breathing toilet and getting my ass burned off. =)**

**Thanks in advance for saving my butt. =P**


	5. Chapter 5

"So... Detention, eh? This brings back some memories."

Joy nodded. "Yeah... Patricia and I, we spent half our freshman year in this godforsaken office."

Fabian laughed shortly. "I can imagine. But you and me too, though, yeah?"

"Yeah, like that time we put that tack on Sweetie's chair..."

"...and it hurt so bad he had to leave the classroom? I remember, alright. I could hear him cursing even when he was in the hallway!"

Joy laughed softly, and Fabian's stomach did a flip. "Yeah, that! How did he know we were the ones who did it, again? I forgot."

"We were laughing. Hard." Fabian reminded her, and despite his guilt, he still found himself melting as she looked at him with those brown eyes, sparkling with laughter.

"Right."

From across the room, Mr. Sweet fixed them with a hard stare. "Reminiscing about undermining my authority, are we?" he muttered, "be quiet. You know that there's no talking in detention."

Fabian went quiet, but Joy just rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Fabian! Don't tell me you've gone soft?"

Despite himself, Fabian chuckled quietly. But one look from Mr. Sweet, and he was quiet once more.

Joy was smiling now, enjoying herself immensely."Oh no. Nina's tamed you, hasn't she! Don't worry Fabes, I'll have that fixed soon enough."

Fabian stared at her, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Me, tame? Never." he growled.

Mr. Sweet glared. "Quiet!"

"Oh, come on, sweetie. Maybe you could just let us out early and save yourself the trouble?"

Mr. Sweet scowled at the use of his hated nickname. "Never, Mercer. A a matter of fact, I've half a mind to keep you late!"

Joy opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to think better of it, falling silent. They sat there in silence for a long time, Fabian occasionally sneaking a glance or two in Joy's direction when he got the chance. Half way through the period, she'd drifted off, snoring quietly. He watched her sleep, a slight frown creasing his face. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep; it was difficult to believe that she was such a devilish imp when in the waking world.

_What am I going to do? _he thought to himself. _I still really care about her. I love Nina, but I'm falling for Joy all over again! What if she likes me back? What then? I could never break up with Nina, but if I turned Joy down, it would break her heart! Oh, this is all just so confusing!_

Honestly, now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure how he'd ended up falling for Joy in the first place. They were two completely different people, and they had almost nothing in common. But he had fallen for her all the same, and he'd been about to make his move...

...Then she'd vanished.

It'd been hard at first. What with Patricia completely and utterly convinced that something bad had happened to her, it was difficult not to think the same. But when Patricia had started cracking down on Nina, he'd immediately leapt to the new girl's aid. He wasn't sure why, but he had. Slowly but surely, Nina had become his everything. Joy had never really been forgotten, of course. She was just pushed to the back of his mind, buried underneath bigger, more important things.

Like Nina.

But now she was back, and so were his feelings for her.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

_What am I going to do?_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That night, supper was met with uncomfortable silence on all fronts. Patricia was shooting sideways glances at Joy, who's eyes were wandering around the room in a desperate attempt to avoid Patricia's. Fabian was alternating from Nina to Joy every few seconds, and Nina, having finally caught on, was looking at Fabian confusedly. Everyone else seemed to have picked up on the generally awkward vibe in the air, and they remained quiet, not sure what to say, or if there was anything to say at all.

Trudy bustled into the room, smiling, but her smile was soon replaced by a frown. "Well, aren't we quiet tonight?"

There was no reply. Trudy's eyes seemed to immediately gravitate towards the oddest sight at the table: the fact that Joy and Patricia were sitting on opposite sides of the table, as far away from each other as possible, and she knew the pair well enough to realize that something wasn't right.

"Is everything okay?"

Quiet, then,

"Yeah, Trudes. Everything's fine."

Mick was the one who broke the silence, and his statement was met by delayed nods of confirmation from everyone at the table. Trudy didn't look convinced, but seemed to understand that no one was in the mood to talk about it. She set the food down on the table, making a quick retreat from what she was sure would turn into a fight at any moment.

"So..." Fabian said at last, looking up from his plate, "Joy's going to stay with me and Nina at my grandfather's place this summer. Does anyone else want to come?"

Joy's eyes widened, and she broke into a coughing fit as she nearly inhaled the piece of steak she'd been chewing on. Alfie gave her a few claps on the back and she swallowed hard, her eyes watering.

Fabian looked at her curiously as she went back to eating as if nothing had happened. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, smiling half-heartedly. "Yeah, fine. Thanks for asking." then, to herself, _Come on, Mercer. You should have seen this coming. What am I going to do now?_ She looked at Patricia, silently praying that the girl would remain silent.

"I'd love to go!" Amber chirped happily. "How about we all go? It'll be like a big sleep over! We can do facials every night, and paint each other's nails, and..."

"Or we could calm down, and not get ahead of ourselves." Mara suggested, interrupting her.

Amber blinked. "Oh, right. Calm. Right." she took a deep breath. "So, anyway... we should all go! It'd be so fun, and that way, i wouldn't have to miss you guys over the break!"

Fabian smiled. "That'd be great, Amber. I'll just have to ask my grandfather. Do you guys all want to come?"

"Sure, why not. It'll be fun!" Alfie said, smirking, "say, Fabian; does your grandfather's place have a nice view of the sky? Because I've been expecting a landing for quite some time now!"

Jerome looked at his friend curiously. "A landing of what, Alfie?"

Alfie rolled his eyes. "Aliens, of course!" he said, as if it was obvious. Everyone laughed in disbelief, and he scowled. "Oh, come on! They're coming! Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

Amber frowned, looking around the table disapprovingly. "It's okay, Alfie. _I_ believe you."

Patricia chuckled. "Yeah, because that says a lot." then she looked at Fabian. "I'd love to come, Fabian. I'd miss these meatheads if I didn't," she said teasingly, looking at Alfie pointedly.

Joy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. _What am I going to do now?_

Putting down her fork, she brought her plate into the kitchen, her appetite suddenly lost. She felt queasy. There was no doubt in her mind that it was because of nerves. Trudy took her plate.

"Are you alright, dearie? You look a little green."

Joy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not hungry, that's all."

She quickly exited into the hallway, having all intentions of going straight to her room and falling asleep. But much to her surprise, Trudy had followed her out into the hallway.

"Wait a minute." the woman said gently, and Joy stopped, turning to face her.

"Yes?"

"Something's wrong, I can tell. Why aren't you and Patricia talking anymore? It's okay, you can tell me."

Joy took a deep breath, biting her lower lip nervously. It was true that she desperately wanted to tell someone, but should Trudy really be the first to know? She felt sick, and there was no doubt in her mind that having someone to talk to would make her feel immensely better. Before she could even begin to process what she was saying, she'd blurted it out.

"We kissed!" she squeaked, then covered her mouth, unable to believe what she'd just said. It was as if saying it out loud had made it more real somehow; there was no more pretending that it hadn't happened, and that scared her. But she couldn't stop the rest from tumbling out: "And, well, it's been really awkward between us ever since. And I know she's my friend, and I feel horrible for avoiding her, but I think I might have felt something and I'm scared because I don't know how I feel or what to think of all this! And I really want to talk to her, but I can't because I'm scared, and oh, Trudy, it's so confusing!"

She was crying now, and before she knew it, she had pulled Trudy into a tight hug, burying her face in the woman's shoulder as she sobbed. Trudy smiled sadly, wrapping her arms around Joy and rocking her back and forth soothingly. "Sh, love. It's okay. It's going to be okay."

"Trudy, what do I do? I don't want to loose her, she's my best friend!" she sniffled as she stepped back, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm so confused..."

Trudy looked at her sympathetically. "Now, I'm no expert on these things, but if I were you, I'd go after her, dearie. I know it's hard, but you have to be brave. If you ignore what happened, it's just going to get worse."

Joy nodded, looking at the floor. "I know. It's just so hard, you know?"

"I do. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay?" Trudy said gently. Then she smiled, taking Joy's hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "Go get her, love."

Joy smiled. "Thanks, Trudy. I think I will."

* * *

**A/N: From now on, there is a good chance that this story will only be updated on the weekends. I'm grounded, so I'm not allowed on the computer on weekdays. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers. You keep my pizza warm and tasty! Anyway, please review! Every time you review, my house is invaded by vicious, relentless plot bunnies that try to bite my head off. (And for those of you who aren't sure, yes, that's a good thing. There's nothing like some good, relentless, head-biting inspiration to cheer me up when I'm sad!) So please review. Because I need a haircut anyway.**


	6. Chapter 6

"So... how was your day?" Patricia asked tensely, her voice cutting through the pitch blackness of the room like a knife. She was lying in her bed, and it was the middle of the night. She knew that Joy was awake; she could hear her quietly humming to herself. Still, she couldn't help the adrenaline pumping through her veins; she was terrified. Terrified that Joy wouldn't answer, terrified of what she might say if she did, terrified that somehow, Joy could read her frantic mind:

_I kissed her. I kissed her, and now I'm talking to her. Alone. At night. I kissed her. I kissed her. I really kissed her. Should I say I'm sorry? Should I apologize? But she kissed back! Why would she kiss back if she wanted me to stop? If I apologize she'll think I regret it! But I don't! Or do I? Oh god, I don't even know anymore!_

Unknown to Patricia, Joy was having similar fears.

_What if she doesn't want to talk? What do I say? Does she realize I've been avoiding her? Oh, I shouldn't have, that was so mean... But what choice did I have? She kissed me! She kissed me! This is her fault, not mine. But I kissed back! Why did I kiss back? What if she asks? Shit, shit, shit!_

Finally, she settled on a simple reply.

"...It was good."

Patricia's breath caught in her throat. "I... oh. Cool." she choked out, her mouth suddenly dry. Part of her wished that Victor would come storming through the door, demanding that they go to sleep immediately, even if him discovering that they were still awake meant that she would be stuck cleaning the toilets for the rest of her life.

Silence, then, "Patricia... I need to talk to you."

Patricia froze. "...About what?" she asked hoarsely, already knowing the answer. _Oh, come on, Williamson! Why in hell's name did you ask her that? Now she thinks you don't want to talk about it! Doesn't she? Aw, crap, who knows?_

Joy bit her lower lip nervously. "... You know exactly what I'm talking about, Patricia." she said, her voice quavering slightly. _She does know what I'm talking about, doesn't she? What if she doesn't? Then I'll have to say it! Damn it, I really don't want to say it!_

Patricia was quiet for a moment. "Joy... I know I shouldn't have..." she began, but Joy cut her off.

"Then why did you?" she asked sharply. The instant that she heard the tone of her own voice, she wanted to take it back, but she knew that she couldn't. _Good job Mercer, now she thinks you're angry with her. But you are angry with her, right? I mean, you have a right to be! She kissed you! But... you kissed back. What if she asks why you kissed back? Shit!_

Patricia flinched. _Is she angry?_ "I... don't know. I guess... I guess... I just... but you kissed me back, didn't you. Why would you kiss back if you wanted me to stop?" Patricia demanded, on the defensive now. While she still felt a little guilty for putting her friend through all of this, she couldn't help but feel indignant that Joy was angry with her. Joy had kissed back, after all.

_Shit! Shit, shit, shit!_

"I don't know!" Joy said, a hint of the desperation that she was feeling inside managing to leak into her voice. This was going down hill, fast, and she didn't know what to do. She'd wanted to fix things, not make them worse! "I guess I just... I just..."

Patricia frowned. "You just what?"

"I just... I don't know, okay?"

There was a moment of silence as Patricia considered what she should say next. She wasn't quite willing to let this drop, but Joy seemed to be getting less sure of herself by the minute. Though she was pretty sure that she had already done so, she didn't want to make Joy any more uncomfortable than she already was. She seemed unsure of her feelings. While Patricia didn't know how it felt to be questioning- she'd just never found guys attractive, period- she was pretty sure that that was the closest thing to what Joy was going through. She didn't want to rush her, because that wouldn't be fair. Joy deserved some time to work out her feelings, even if Patricia desperately wanted to resolve things now. So she settled on a simple reply:

"Alright. That's okay, I get it."

Joy blinked, surprised. Had Patricia really just let it drop? She could hardly believe it. Part of her wanted to keep talking, to resolve this now, to just get it over with, but there was no use denying that she wasn't sure of her feelings. She needed some time to think, some time to decide how she wanted this to be resolved. While the logical side of her mind was telling her to _leave it at that, don't bring it up again! _There was definitely some part of her that was telling her to go after this, to not forget, to figure out what she was feeling and act on it.

"...Thanks."

"No problem. And... um... Joy?"

"Yes?"

Patricia hesitated. "It's okay if you're not sure, you know? It's okay."

Joy took a deep breath, chewing her lower lip nervously. "...yeah. I know...Thanks."

"Goodnight, then."

"...Yeah." Joy said, rolling over to face the wall. "Goodnight."

It was going to be a long night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_The next day..._

"Alright guys! Everyone's all packed up, right?" Fabian asked, looking around the table. Everyone nodded, and Amber squeaked excitedly. Patricia and Joy were sitting next to each other again, although they did look completely exhausted; heart-felt chats in the middle of the night were not without price, of course. "Okay. We're going to car pool; Patricia, Joy, Jerome, Mick, and Mara, you guys are going to go with Trudy in her SUV. Nina, Alfie, Amber, you're going to come with me in my Uncle Ade's car. Alright?"

Patricia glanced over at Joy, curious about her reaction to having to share a car. But Joy's only reaction was to glance over at Patricia, and Patricia cleared her throat awkwardly, looking away. She didn't want Joy to think she was staring at her, especially since she wasn't. But Joy didn't look away. She was looking at Patricia as if trying to figure something out, a slight frown creasing her face. _I guess she is kind of cute. _she thought to herself. _But do I really like her like... like that? That'd be weird.. she's my best friend. But I mean... _she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. _Oh, fuck it. I'll deal with this later._ She looked back at Fabian, giving him a slight smile.

He smiled back, then glanced over at Nina, as if making sure she hadn't made the connection yet. It wasn't without reason that he had arranged for he and Joy to travel in separate cars; he was afraid that if they travelled together, he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off her. Once more, he felt a pang of guilt.

Everyone at the table nodded, and each went back to their conversations. Satisfied that everyone else was occupied, Fabian turned to Jerome.

"Hey. Can I talk to you? You know, outside?" he asked quietly, looking over at Nina. She was immersed in her conversation with Amber, too busy to notice him leaving the room. At least he hoped.

Jerome looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

Fabian frowned. "Outside. Please? It'll just be a minute, I swear."

Jerome seemed to hesitate, then nodded, getting up. The two walked outside, Fabian giving him a grateful smile. Once they were safely out of hearing distance, Jerome turned back to Fabian, looking at him seriously. "Okay, what is it? You were acting pretty shady in there mate."

Fabian took a deep breath, looking around one last time to make sure that no one was listening. Once he was satisfied that no one was around, he sighed. "It's Nina."

Jerome blinked, frowning as his extremely clever mind put two and two together. The stolen looks at Joy, the awkward, constipated look that Fabian had recently started wearing whenever he was around Nina... Jerome knew Fabian well enough to know that he only wore that look when he was feeling guilty about something, and looking at Joy... Nina... He blinked. "You're cheating on her?" he asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"No, no, I'm not!" Fabian quickly assured him, not wanting him to start spreading rumors. He frowned, hesitating. "It's just... I've been spending a lot of time with Joy recently, and, well... I kind of... kind of liked her before I left, so... I... Well, I'm with Nina now, but I've been spending a lot of time around Joy lately, and I think... I think I might still be into her." he said, still frowning.

Jerome chuckled. "Ah... a good old love triangle!" he said loudly, enjoying the look of panic that flickered across Fabian's face as he indirectly threatened to expose them. Then, having had his fun, he decided to stop playing with the poor love-struck boy, lowering his voice back to a whisper. "Well honestly I don't see why you can't have both of them, that's what I'd do, at least. But I know you're not like that, so here's what you've got to do. First, you have to find out if Joy even likes you, because it'd be stupid to break up with Nina if Joy's not interested. And before you ask how to tell, just spend some more time with her. You're a smart guy; you'll figure it out. And she's pretty straightforward, too, so if she does like you, she'll probably make the first move. As for Nina, well, if you really like Joy more than you like her, just break up with her. It's that simple."

Fabian sighed in frustration. "But I don't know who I like more!" he said desperately.

Jerome rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well I can't help you with that. Good luck." he said, clapping Fabian on the shoulder before turning and walking back to the dining room. Fabian watched him go with a grimace, the conflict inside him only escalated.

_Well that was helpful._

_

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_**A/N: Please review. Think about it: When you don't review, its like I took you out to dinner at a really fancy restaurant and paid for your food. (and really, did you have to get lobster?) Then we go get really delicious ice cream, and after, I drive you home... then you never call me again, and I find out that the number you gave me was actually a number for a pizza parlor! It hurts my confidence so badly that I don't ever want to leave the house again, so even if you wanted to say sorry, you never could... I slowly waste away, sad and lonely, in a nasty apartment that doesn't even have air-conditioning with only my 500 cats and a piece of moldy cheese for company... But then I get hungry, so I eat the cheese, and the cats get bored so they run away, leaving me all alone...**

**...What a heart-breaking story, and it's all because you didn't review. **

**So basically, review. It saves lives.**


	7. Chapter 7

_This. Is. Awkward._

Patricia was _positive_ that such a sentence would have summarized everyone's thoughts when they hit the fifteen minute point of the two hour car ride and no one had said a single word to anyone.

Jerome was staring blatantly at Mara, and Mick was glaring at him slightly, which only seemed to encourage Jerome to stare more.

Mara was shifting uncomfortably back and forth in her seat; What exactly was one supposed to do in a situation like this? Her mind raced with the possibilities as she tried to ignore the silent battle of will between friend-with-benefits-almost and boyfriend that had her completely surrounded.

And though Patricia tried to ignore it, there was no use denying that Joy was staring holes into the back of her head. She could practically feel Joy's gaze on her back. _What is she doing back there anyway? Hoping that if she stares hard enough I'll burst into flames and take all of her problems down with me?_

Everyone jumped as a voice cut the silence, derailing whatever train of thought they happened to be riding at the time. All eyes were on Jerome.

"So, Mara... what did you think of the finals?"

Mara knew that Jerome had directed the question towards her, but that didn't stop her from guessing it's real target. Voice cold as ice, eyes glinting like sharpened steel, Jerome was clearly hoping that Mick wanted a fight as much as he wanted one.

Patricia's eyes were on the rear view mirror now, glancing over at Joy. What the hell was that girl doing back there? She couldn't take much more of this. Sitting next to Trudy in the front seat, she could barely see past Jerome's gigantic hair. _What's up with that, anyway? It must take him ages!_

"They were... um, they were fine, Jerome," Mara said, her normal cheeriness sounding rather forced as she attempted to resolve a potentially lethal fight before it started.

"Yes, I thought the same." Jerome said stiffly, still glaring daggers at Mick. "But I'm sure that some of us found it more... challenging... than others, if you get my meaning? You know, those of us who-"

Mara cut him off. "What are you staring at, Joy?"

Joy jumped, looking at Mara like a deer in the headlights.

"What?" she demanded, sounding slightly panicky.

Mara frowned. "I was just asking what you were staring at. You seemed kind of... far away, you know?"

Joy blinked, eyes wide, heart pounding. _Seemed kind of gay? Am I really that obvious? Was I staring? What? I'm not gay, how does she know... What is she... oh. Far away. Cool it, Mercer._ She took a deep breath, recovering from what probably could have been considered a minor heart attack by medical terms. "I was just thinking about the prom." she lied smoothly, mentally cursing the fact that it was the first thing that came to mind. "I just wish I'd actually had time to pick out a dress and all that... you know?"

Mara smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I felt kind of bad about that," she began, but Mick interrupted her.

"Where did you come from, anyway?" he asked, looking slightly confused.

Joy floundered as she searched for an answer that wouldn't give Sibuna away, looking desperately at Jerome. The boy just shook his head, eyes wide.

When Joy failed to answer, Mick laughed, glancing at Mara and elbowing her playfully. "What, did Patricia go to your house and sneak you out a window or something? How romantic!"

Everyone laughed, but Patricia was not amused.

"Funny, Mick." she said dryly, glaring at him in the rear view mirror. "Need I bring up that time we found you and Fabian dancing together in the living room? Or should we just let sleeping dogs lie?"

Mick chuckled. "Sorry, sorry... it was just a joke." he said with a smile.

Joy looked over at the jock, instinctively leaping to Patricia's defense. "Yeah, well it wasn't funny."

Though he seemed confused, Mick nodded, looking as solemn as he could. "Right... um, sorry. So anyway, I'm applying for a sports scholarship..."

Patricia did her best to drown out his babbling, as did almost everyone else in the car; Mara seemed to be the only one who was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

_I wonder how the others are faring._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay guys, so it's been a while. I'm really sorry for the delay, but I've been busy with schoolwork and exams and OMG WHAT IS THIS, how DARE you accuse me of having a social life! You know I'd never cheat on you like that, what is WRONG with you? ;)**

**Anyway... I've been having difficulty posting lately because my beloved wife fan fiction was being mean. (YES WE'RE BOTH FEMALE, DEAL WITH IT IT'S LEGAL NOW!) She wouldn't give me the TV remote and she hid the last piece of cake and she wouldn't let me type or post because apparently I'm not satisfying her need for updates. So this one goes out to my beloved wife.**

**Maybe I can finally watch TV again now.**

* * *

_What is up with him?_ Nina wondered to herself as Fabian stared blankly out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Amber and Alfie were cuddling in the seats beside her, and frankly, she just wanted a distraction. In Nina's opinion, there was nothing more awkward than sitting in the back seat of a car with two of your best friends, having no choice but to listen as one of them came up with disturbingly creative pet names for the other.

If Fabian could read her mind, he would have disagreed. Certainly Nina's difficulties were minor; after all, what could possibly be more awkward than being caught in a vicious and unforgiving love triangle, which just so happened to involve a human being whom you were currently sharing a vehicle with? Snapped out of his trance by Nina's almost pleading hiss of his name from the back seat of the car, Fabian turned to look at her, putting on his best smile.

"What's up?" He asked, smiling slightly when she glanced over at Amber and Alfie, then looked back at him desperately.

"Okay Fabian, be blunt with me... How long is this car ride going to last? Because its not like they're not sweet and I'm really happy they're finally together and its nice but come on, I'm dying back here!" She said quickly, as if worried they would hear her. She looked a little guilty, and he rolled his eyes slightly, smiling reassuringly.

"Don't worry Nina, they can't keep it up forever... They'll probably stop soon."

She gave him a look that he couldn't properly describe; it was somewhere between a dead-pan stare and a look of pure horror. "But it can," She said softly, blue eyes wide, "I've seen it... Me and Amber shared a room remember?"

He could tell that she was faking the fear now, and it was only a moment or two before she lost her composure, giggling. "Okay, so its not that bad... Its still awkward though," she admitted with one of those adorable little Nina-shrugs that he had come to love over the past few months. His heart clenched as his thoughts drifted to Joy and how she used to do the same thing, but he pushed the treacherous thoughts to the side, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, its pretty... Uncomfortable." He agreed with a smile. "The car ride's nowhere near over though, we've still got about an hour."

Nina nodded, looking thoughtful. "Right... Fabian, I..." She hesitated, as if not sure what she was going to say. _Should I ask? But what if I'm wrong? Then I'll seem distrustful, and god, I don't want him thinking he can't trust me! No. You know what, forget it, I need to know!_ "Fabian... What's going on with..." She swallows, and his stomach flips. "What's going on with you and Joy?"

Fabian looked like a deer in the headlights, glancing over at Uncle Ade. The man clearly wasn't actively listening to their conversation, but his presence still made Fabian uncomfortable. _Should I answer? What should I say? If I say I don't want to talk about it right now will she think there's something going on? But I really don't want to talk about it here, everyone's listening! Well not everyone, but a lot of people, okay, like three but I still dont-_

"Fabian?" Nina asked, worried by his silence. _What's going on with him? Everything's so messed up already and I don't even know what's going on! Do I even want to?_

Fabian blinked, looking away guiltily. Then, looking back up at her after a moment, "Listen Nina... I want to talk to you but I can't right now... Maybe somewhere more private?" He suggested halfheartedly. In all honesty he didn't want to talk to Nina at all. He liked to know what he was talking about, and when it came to Joy... Well, he didn't know anything at all. What was he going to say to Nina; that he didn't know what was going on because he'd yet to figure it out himself?

Looking slightly crestfallen, Nina put on her best fake smile, nodding. "Right. I get it. Its okay... Privacy. Got it." She said, trying to hide her grimace behind a nervous little grin as she always did and failing miserably.

The look was not lost on Fabian, who had to look away, turning and continuing to gaze out the window listlessly.

Nina was unable to take her eyes off him, making no effort to hide her misery now that he wasn't looking. She was confused, upset, feeling all the things she'd hoped would go away after she got together with the love of her life, Fabian Rutter. They'd gone away for a little while, but they were back now.

_I'm loosing him,_ she thought miserably, _I'm loosing Fabian._

* * *

**A/N: Did you know I can read minds? Because I can. Now I'm going to steal the contents of your review right out from under you...**

**OMG LIEK NO, NINA CAN'T LOOSE FABIAN, HOW DARE JOY GET IN THE WAY OF THEIR LIEK, UNSTOPPABLE LURV!1!111**

**I know, I'm amazing... review anyway, cause I want to know if I read your mind correctly! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright guys, so it's been quite a while since i last updated. I have no excuse; kill my first born and drag me off to Azkaban, where I can properly suffer for my horrible deeds. On a brighter (not really) note, I bet Victor would do perfectly fine in Azkaban, what with those dementor happiness-nazis floating around all over the place stealing people's happiness and Joy... Im so punny.**

**Anyway, enough with my nonsense, and on to the story. Hope it was worth the wait!**

* * *

"So... this is it. Home sweet home for the next three months." Fabian said happily, stepping out of the car with a relieved sigh. Though he wasn't quite looking forward to explaining his 'difficulties' with Joy to Nina, all he cared about at the moment was the fact that they were out of that car at last. Nina was right behind him and he gave a slightly forced smile as she looked out across the grounds in wonder.

"Wow, Fabian! Why didn't you tell us about this place before? It's incredible!"

Fabian shrugged. "Guess it just didn't come up."

The place really was amazing. At least three acres of land, the property was surrounded but a lush green forest, stretching as far as the eye could see. Rolling hills that slowly faded into grassy plains gave way to a beautiful clear river that sprawled out across the yard, only serving to accentuate the crown jewel; a huge castle, victorian in design, towered over the plains, tall as the tallest tree and no doubt just as old.

Nina looked at Fabian, eyes sparkling. "Fabian, it's beautiful." she whispered in disbelief, smiling.

Fabian grinned proudly. "Thanks," he said, "it really is. But remember, it's not mine, so no breaking stuff." Alfie looked crestfallen as Fabian shot him a meaningful glance.

"Aw, there go my plans..."

"Don't worry Fabian!" Amber butted in, taking Alfie by the hand, "I'll keep him out of trouble! We're going to stay inside and watch movies and then we're going to play truth or dare and talk about our feelings, and..."

Alfie groaned at the last one, tossing his head back.

"Shush, you." Amber scolded. "As I was saying we're going to play truth or dare and talk about our feelings and we're going to do manicures, and..."

"Okay Amber, take it down a notch." Nina reminded the girl with an amused grin. "We just got here, lets not get ahead of ourselves-"

_"Fuck!"_

All eyes turned to Patricia as she stumbled out of Trudy's SUV, hopping around on one foot and cursing like a sailor. "God dammit Mick, what the fuck!" she snarled, glaring at the boy. Mick just retreated with his hands held up in surrender, much to Joy's amusement.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize your foot was in the door, I just-"

"I was stepping out of the car, why the _hell_ wouldn't my foot have been in the door?" she demanded.

"Yeah Mick, what were you thinking?" Jerome asked snidely, "Oh wait, I forgot, you _don't..._"

Mick whipped around, glaring daggers at the blond. "Shut it Clarke, I swear I'll..."

"Quit it, both of you!" Mara begged, stepping between the two. "Come on guys, we're on vacation... Lets just have fun and make the most of it," she reasoned, and reluctantly, both boys nodded.

"Wow Fabes, pretty impressive!" Joy said approvingly as she took in the view, seemingly ignoring Mick and Mara's exchange. Patricia looked up from her foot, eyes widening.

"_Niiiice,_" she said, sounding impressed as she walked to stand beside Joy. "So, can we check it out?"

Fabian nodded. "Yeah, of course. We've got to pick out rooms, and there's enough so you don't have to share unless you want to," -Joy and Patricia glanced at each other- "and my Grandfather will have the assistants help you unpack and all.

Jerome looked at him in absolute wonder. "Assistants? Damn Rutter, you're _loaded!_"

Fabian rolled his eyes, blushing a little. He'd always been a little bit shy when it came to his family's financial standing. "Not quite, Jerome..."

"Okay, then you're swimming in money."

"No, just..."

The sounds of their pointless squabble was lost on Joy as she took him in; hair ruffled, face flushed with embarrassment, that geeky combination of a smile and a grimace that only he could properly pull off. She smiled slightly in spite of herself. They'd had some good times, that was certain. She loved him to death as a friend, but... She sighed a little. Could she ever care for him as more? Try though she might, she simply couldn't conjure up any jealously or animosity towards Martin. But she _needed_ to want him! She needed something to compare. She didn't want to hurt Nina though she quite liked the girl, and she seemed nice enough._ What am I going to do?_

Her eyes drifted to Patricia. The girl was looking out over the grounds like a kid in a candy store, probably planning her next prank or wondering what she should explore first. Would it be the castle or the grounds? Joy smiled to herself, a small, warm smile, vaguely wondering if Patricia would let her help out with whatever genius scheme or adventure she had planned next. Things with Patricia had always been yes or no, success or failure, escape or detention. There were never any if ands or buts, and Joy had loved it. Things were natural, nothing was forced, and it had always been easy.

_Perfect._

That had been then.

Now it was now, and there were ifs and buts and ands and maybes; the only thing she knew for certain was that Patricia was her best friend, and that damn, that kiss had felt _good._

"Joy? Joy, are you listening?"

"Huh?" Joy was snapped back to reality by Fabian's voice.

"I was just saying how my Grandfather wants us to stick to the first, second, and third floors. Fourth floor and the basement are off limits, okay?"

Patricia rolled her eyes. "Well that sounds familiar... And do you want to be able to hear a pin drop at ten o'clock as well?" she asked sourly, and Fabian chuckled.

"No, but my Grandfather does want us in bed by eleven thirty."

The group shrugged, finding nothing to protest.

Fabian smiled widely. "Okay so, lets pick out rooms first alright? Then you can do whatever you'd like."

* * *

**A/N: So what did you think? I'm kind of in love with Jade Ramsey's face, just so everyone here is aware. Klariza Clayton too. (Also if you guys haven't seen her in Skins Season Three... Jesus you're missing out horribly.) Anymushroom, what was I saying? Oh yes, review my loves. I'm currently suffering from a vicious and very obnoxious virus; only your reviews can make my nose stop running down my face for a moment, so I can write and get school work done, so I can pay more attention to you guys and my beloved adorable new little cairn terrier. Each time you review, my puppy tries to lick Joy's face. And honestly at this point, who doesn't want a puppy licking Joy's face? Maybe it would distract her from her obvious objective of getting in Fabian's pants, just saying. Patricia would appreciate a little more attention**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: That's right, I'm back on to regular updates! You can expect around two chapters a week, though some will be shorter than others because I've been really busy lately with a top secret project for all my gamers out there. Sh, no peeking! Also, enjoy!**

**Or else.**

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Pandora's Box: Chapter Ten

_"I CALL IT!"_

Patricia had to practically jump to the side to avoid Amber's stampeding feet on the castle floor, feet that were currently sprinting to the biggest bedroom suite the group had so far encountered. Joy just rolled her eyes; what Amber would do with that amount of extra space was completely beyond the tiny brunette, but it would without a doubt be entertaining in the extreme. Amber had, of course, brought along almost every pair of shoes she'd ever owned in her sixteen year-old life, and though no one dared to say it out loud, everyone was wondering where in hell she was going to put them all... Maybe Amber's prayers had been answered after all, in the form of this abnormal, freakishly large living space. Joy could see it now; pile after pile of shoe boxes, lining the walls like the inside of some huge warehouse somewhere. The thought was a little scary, to be completely honest.

The group stood there in slightly shocked silence for a few moments, before the surprise of Amber's outburst wore off and Patricia spoke.

"Well, looks like Amber's got her room settled." She stated dryly, glancing around at the stoic faces of the others before chuckling. They all joined in as they slowly recovered from the blond whirlwind that had been Amber flying past, as if only just realizing what had happened.

Most of the others had already picked their rooms, leaving only Fabian, Nina, Patricia, Joy, and Jerome out wandering the halls. The blonde prankster had wandered into the dining hall on the main floor, admiring the chandelier with an impressed but rather mischievous grin on his face. The room was large and spacious, three rows of long tables and benches filling it. It had a nice, cozy feeling despite it's grand appearance, something quite unique; it was probably because of the warm red and orange drapery on the windows and ceiling. As Jerome considered the strength of the chain that held the chandelier in place over the table, Patricia appeared behind him as if from nowhere.

"And what are we up to, hmm?" the goth brunette tsked in mock disapproval, grinning. "Not planning a prank are we?

Jerome jumped in alarm, whipping around to look at the girl in fear first, then putting on his calm and collected mask.

_Seems I'm not the only one who can't forget Zeno, then,_ Patricia thought grimly, trying to focus on the moment at hand.

"Ah, Trixy. No, actually, but its all well and good that you asked. I'm just plotting Mick's untimely death, as a matter of fact. I'm glad you could join me."

Patricia rolled her eyes, unamused. "Ha ha Jerome, very funny. Now what are you actually up to?"

The blond shrugged, smiling. "Admiring this chandelier. Thought that was quite clear. You know, design like this, it's unique to-"

The goth girl gave him a glare that would have stopped the bravest of men right in his tracks, signaling that she wasn't playing games anymore.

He gulped.

"Okay, so I was wondering if I could make it fall during dinner or something. I'm not going to though. Stupid and dangerous idea to be completely honest," Jerome admitted, holding up his hands in surrender. "Really Trixie, I swear."

Patricia just looked at him seriously for a moment or two, then pounded him on the shoulder. "Good, you. I was starting to think you'd lost your touch. Just don't start anything too dangerous yeah?"

Jerome nodded with a smile. Patricia was a leader of sorts when it came to mischief, and she'd been instructing Freshman coming to the school for a year and a half. Nobody really knew her story or why her parents had shipped her off to a big, bad boarding school, but then again, no one was anywhere near brave enough to ask. Everyone just kind of assumed it was one of Patricia's many war stories; that she'd had some kind of blow out with her parents, a youthful rebellion, that she'd stood her ground and refused to give in, and that they'd sent her here. All the troublemakers looked up to her, seniors included; she could always be trusted to come up with some good clean fun, always. _Always._ She wasn't anything like the idiots that he'd heard had spiked the punch at prom... She always found a way to make it safe for everyone, but still just so damn funny...

"Of course." Jerome replied with a good-natured smile. There were few people who could draw such an expression out of him, and anyone who had seen him in that moment would have keeled over dead in shock. Patricia had seen it all, a veteran of more prank wars than she'd care to remember, and she just smiled back, shrugging.

"Alrighty then. Stay out of lethal trouble then, yeah? Otherwise, go hog wild." She chuckled as she left the room, and Jerome watched her go fondly. Now _that_ was a real girl.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, er, where do you want to stay Fabian?"

Fabian spluttered slightly at Nina's question, giving a nervous smile. "Well, we could, um r-room together but..." he trailed off.

Nina blushed. "Oh. Yeah. Appearances, huh."

Fabian just nodded, his face looking something quite like a flamingo. "Well I mean, there are two beds in each room, but people would still talk. You know?"

The blond shrugged. "That's what people do... Talk." She teased, chuckling a little, and Fabian smiled.

"So you want to share then?"

The shy little smile Nina gave him in return was the only answer he needed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So Joy... Are you going to... Well..."

Joy shook her head. "I don't want to be alone but I don't want to..." The tiny brunette trailed off awkwardly, sounding a little regretful. "...I just... I don't want to..."

"...Don't want to share with me." Patricia finished with a sigh, and Joy glanced away as if in shame, knowing it was the truth. "Look, I know... You don't have to pretend. I get it Joy. I'll just... I'll find someone else to room with. Alright?" the goth girl offered miserably with a forced little smile, before turning hesitantly and walking away. "I'll see you around."

Joy watched her best friend go, looking more dejected than ever in her black converse and skinny jeans as she made her way down the smooth cobblestone hallway, reddish-brown hair completely motionless in the stagnant castle air. "Well shit." The tiny brunette whispered to herself, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. No more than a few seconds had passed before the waves of guilt crashing down over her became too strong, and she shook her head vigorously.

"Patricia! Wait!"

Patricia turned, the sound of Joy's voice the last thing she'd been expecting to hear.

Joy caught her questioning look, and gave an sheepish, hopeful little smile. "Still want to share rooms?" She asked in a small voice, praying Patricia would say yes. She didn't want to be all alone in this castle, not really, and Patricia had always been her best friend. Why should things change?

"Of course I do, you idiot. Who do you take me for?" Patricia demanded, giving a bright grin.

Joy's face lit up and she smiled widely, pulling the goth girl into a hug once she was in range. "Help me unpack?" She asked hopefully, and Patricia nodded, shooting her a playful and teasing grin.

"Make me a sandwich?"

Joy scoffed, punching her shoulder and chuckling as Patricia toppled backwards dramatically, landing on her bed. Still laughing, Patricia bit down on her lower lip coyly, looking at her laughing friend with eyes sparkling.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

**A/N: That's right, Joytricia fluff for the win... I hope it blows your mind as much as it blows Patricia's, cause trust me, her mind is blown right now. Serious Fabina drama though up ahead, so beware! I bid thee farewell for now my dear readers, and I beseech thee to review, for the sake of Fabina and Joytricia. They're going to need as much support as they can get... they always do.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so apparently all promises I make are complete and utter bullshit, because my life just doesn't want to cooperate with my update schedule. You hear that sound? That's Anubis, laughing as I make plans. Anyway I know this chapter is liable to cause quite an uproar, and I'm looking forward to the reviews I'll be getting. Without further ado, here we go!**

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"Hey Trudy, me and Nina? We're going to go catch a movie, could you just..." Patricia frowned, trailing off when she realized that Trudy wasn't listening. The woman was lying on one of the cushy burgundy couches by the fireplace, her face buried in the latest James Patterson book and her feet kicked back.

Patricia glanced at Nina as if hoping for support, but Nina just shrugged.

"Try again?" she suggested unhelpfully, and Patricia rolled her eyes.

"Thank you captain obvious," she said flatly before turning back to Trudy and deciding to follow Nina's advice. "Trudy? Me and Nina are going to hit the cinemas later. Can you drive us?"

Trudy poked her head up over the couch, taking out her headphones. "What dearie? Sorry, I didn't hear!"

Patricia looked surprised, take off guard. "Are those skullcandies, Trudes?"

"Yeah, they are! Fabian's uncle Ade got them for me a few weeks ago. Isn't that just the cutest thing?" the kindly woman gushed, giggling, and Nina gagged a little in the back of her throat, much to Patricia's amusement.

"Impressive," Patricia said admiringly. "Anyway, I said me and Nina are going to hit the cinemas. You know, just to put all that bad stuff from last year behind us for good?"

Trudy smiled. "Good idea dears! What are you going to see?" she inquired cheerily.

Patricia chuckled, but Nina grimaced a little.

"Oh, well, Nina here wants to go see the Lion King in 3D, but we're probably going to go see Contagion instead," the goth girl explained, smiling wickedly. Nina just gave a nervous grin.

"Ooh, I hear that's a great thrill! Is anyone else coming along, or is it only the two of you?"

Patricia and Nina exchanged an awkward glance, both knowing that the other was trying to avoid someone in particular.

"Er, no. No, all alone. Loners!" Nina chirped hurriedly in that awkward, forced tone that only she was truly capable of pulling off. Patricia scowled, but said nothing., deciding to play it cool.

"Oh, so a girl's night out! Isn't that nice! When are you going to go dears?"

"Well there's a showing of Contagion in a half an hour. Can you drive us?" Patricia asked, quickly butting in before Nina could suggest the Lion King. It wasn't necessarily that Patricia didn't like the Lion King, so much as it was that she really didn't want to be reminded of the person she'd first seen it with.

Joy.

Patricia had come from a less than privileged family to say the least. She'd grown up practically living on the streets; every now and then she and her sister would sneak into the theaters, but they'd almost always gotten caught and thrown out. That was how she'd met Joy; the girl's grandfather had owned one of the cinemas that they frequented, and sometimes they would run into her in the theater during the summer. She was never very social, very talkative, but when her grandfather came to check the theaters she would always hide them away if she could.

The summer after they'd met her, things had taken a turn for the worst.

Patricia's grades had never been good, but they hadn't been as bad as they were that year in a very long time. She'd flat out flunked out of school, and after her sister... After Nikita had fallen ill and passed on, her mother and father had gathered all that they had behind her back, to send her here. Away from it all.

Bitter anger welled up in her heart at the very thought of such a thing. Could they have at least let her say goodbye? The funeral, _the funeral_... she had left before the funeral. They'd sent her away. She'd never forgive them, never forget.

She took a deep breath, doing her best to push the pain to the side. It was like a wound, eating away at her from the inside; it hurt, but it hurt slowly, and that only made it worse. It had never stopped hurting; there was only a single moment in her sixteen-year-old life that she could recall it stopping, recall it fading away... a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she remembered the kiss that had turned her world upside-down, that night on the stairs after the dance.

"Of course dearies! Town's quite a while away though, we should get going!" Trudy chirped, and Patricia blushed as the woman's chipper tone brought her back to reality, shattering her less-than-appropriate thoughts regarding the tiny brunette that was currently sharing her room.

"Oh yeah, of course!" Patricia agreed hastily, trying to cover for the inexplicable blush that graced her face. "Your car or Ade's?"

Trudy tsked disapprovingly. "That's Mr. Rutter to you, Patricia. Do show some respect. But yes, I'll drive you. And in my car, come on, lets go or you two will be late for the film!"

Patricia visibly shuddered at the mere thought of addressing anyone as 'Mr.' Rutter. No matter what people said, Fabian was the only person she would ever recognize as Mr. Rutter, and even then, calling him such a thing would be absolutely appalling. It sounded far too much like Victor for her taste, and Nina seemed to share her opinion, grimacing at the thought.

"Okay," Patricia and Nina said together, glaring at each other slightly as they realized they'd spoken in unison again.

Trudy chuckled. "Come on then, let's go! We're going to be late!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, what are you watching?"

Joy jumped a little, turning to see who had spoken before smiling at the boy leaning up against her door frame.

"Oh! Hi, Fabes," she smiled, looking curious. She felt a twinge of guilt at the look in his eyes; she'd seen it before, when Nina looked at him, when he looked at Nina.

And hell... she knew for a fact that she'd never looked at him that way, not the way he was looking at her now, not the way he'd looked at Nina that night at the dance. She knew she was using him and she knew it was wrong... But that didn't change a thing. She was scared, worried, uncertain. This had to happen, or she would never know the answer.

"So what brings you here? I thought you'd be with Nina?"

Fabian hesitated. "Well, that's it. I just... Joy, can I talk to you? I just... I don't know how to explain."

Cocking her head slightly to the side, she blinked, frowning a little in concern. "What is it?"

The boy hesitated, sitting down on the edge of her bed. He exhaled a deep breath, looking at her in silence for a while.

"Well, it's about this... about you."

"...This?" she questioned, guilt weighing her down more and more as she knowingly feigned confusion.

"Do you... Do you ever feel like we could be more than friends?"

Joy's breath caught. This was it. This was her chance to put things right, to stomp out this confusion once and for all. But there was something... _Something._ It just wouldn't let her. _Nina, what would Nina say? What would Nina do? What if Patricia ever found out? Christ why was she even thinking about Patricia? It was hardly as if it was the goth girl's business to keep track of where her lips had been. Jesus, this was all so confusing._

"I... I don't know," she said at last. "You're with Nina. It... It wouldn't be right."

Fabian sighed deeply. "I know. I know how wrong it would be. Gosh, this is all so messed up."

Joy gave a small smirk, quirking a brow. "I believe the words you're looking for are 'god' and 'fucked', yes?" she teased, and despite himself, he smiled, laughing quietly.

"Yeah yeah, I know I'm a prude. No need to rub it in," he said, rolling his eyes and grinning. Then, a little more seriously, "so you don't like me that way, then?"

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Joy chewed her lover lip nervously. This was it. Do or die.

"I... I don't know, Fabes," she whispered at last, glancing away as she felt guilt pierce her heart. This was wrong. She was _wrong._ God dammit, she knew all too well that she didn't care for him that way!

Her conscience echoed in her ears as his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Whether it was good or bad, she really couldn't be sure.

A minute passed before Fabian found himself leaning in slightly towards the tiny brunette, eyes half closed. Joy's heart was hammering in her chest, threatening to escape her ribcage. Hammering the word into her head over and over again: _Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong._

Eyes fluttering shut, she was more than half way there. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, practically hear his heart beating in his chest. And she knew. She knew. It wasn't beating for this, it was beating for her.

For Nina.

And her heart...?

Their lips brushed ever so slightly; as if jolted by some sort of electric current Joy pulled away swiftly, scrambling backwards and looking at him with wide brown eyes. He looked at her, mouth slightly agape, and embarrassment flooded her.

"I-lets- let's just watch the movie. I'm watching Gattica. Wanna join me?"

Fabian blinked, closing his mouth. "I- yeah," he croaked at last. "That sounds cool. I love that movie. What part are you up to?"

Joy gave him the best smile she could, given the awkward circumstances. "The part where the girl finds out who he really is."

"Oh, so you're pretty far along then," he commented awkwardly as he sat down next to her, and she nodded.

"Want me to rewind?"

Fabian smiled a little bit, some of the tension having begun to unwind already. "Yeah, sure. That sounds great." he said, looking at her warmly. "That sounds great."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Seems I'm back on schedule, thanks for sticking with me despite my apparent inability to stick to a proper plan! It's truly much appreciated. Of all the things motivating me to finish this story, it's you guys. Oh, and also Eddie. I never thought I would actually say it, but... Anubis almighty, I thing I might actually miss Mick. Without further ado, Pandora's Box Chapter Twelve!**

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"Wow, you know, I always forget how good that movie is," Fabian said with a content smile as the ending credits rolled, and the screen faded to black. When there was no answer, "Joy?"

Fabian couldn't help but smile softly when he realized Joy had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm draped over his chest, snuggling up close. He could hear her slow, steady breathing as her chest rose and fell, perfectly content. He wasn't sure if it was wrong, but he just didn't have the heart to wake her. Hell, he didn't even have the heart to get out of bed anyway. How could he wake her when he himself wouldn't even listen to his own advice and get out of bed? She looked so peaceful and calm, so... Sweet, and disarming. How was it possible that this single, innocent looking girl had thrown his heart into such turmoil, such confusion? It seemed unreal.

He didn't want to get up, not in that moment, when everything was so right and calm. He was flat out exhausted from the long car ride, and Joy was so soft and warm in his arms... It wasn't long before he'd drifted off right there beside her, perfectly content to drown his confusion in a world where nothing mattered.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That was great! God, at the end? Mind, _blown!_ Hell!"

Nina just nodded and rolled her eyes as Patricia continued to rant at high speed, knowing that the goth girl was talking for no reason other than to announce their presence. Nina, on the other hand, was still slightly scarred from the experience they'd shared in the theater. Rather than seeing Contagion (or the Lion King, as the american had desired), Patricia had dragged her off to Final Destination V. She still remembered all those people, all of those bodies... Though she knew they were safe and well, that they were just actors and actresses, the mere thought of such a dreadful thing ever happening was enough to unnerve her.

No, Nina was definitely _not_ the horror type.

Patricia, on the other hand, was absolutely bouncing off the walls. Not since SAW II had she seen such a brilliantly coordinated fest of gore and violence, and it had left her feeling invigorated to say the least. She wasn't sure why, but piling some fear on top of serious stress had always had a way of calming her down and helping her nerves. Maybe it was just because no matter how bad things got... well, maybe it was just the knowledge that whatever drama she was dealing with, those characters were going through worse. Maybe it was twisted that she had to try not to chuckle as characters in movies pleaded for their lives only to be killed anyway, but hell, that was just the way she worked. After all, she was only dealing with love; at least she wasn't being hunted by death itself. And if she was, well, at least she had the luxury of being blissfully unaware.

Yeah, horror movies really did help put things in perspective. Maybe that was why she had such a passion for them...

Patricia's reverie of blood and guts was interrupted by the sound of raised voices; she heard the shatter of glass long before she saw it, green eyes widening in fear as she kicked off her converse, taking off down the hall towards the mess hall at a desperate pace and leaving a very confused, concerned Nina in her wake.

"Patricia! Wait!"

The blood drained from Patricia's face as she threw open the doors to the mess hall, feeling her heart lurch and her stomach roll as she took in the sight before her.

Because there on the ground lay the mangled body of Joy Mercer, crushed from the waist down by the metal frame of the shattered glass chandelier.

It took Patricia a minute to realize the choked, strangled cries that filled her ears were her own as she crumpled to the ground, entire body shaken by violent, dry sobs. She couldn't even see straight, couldn't think, couldn't feel, couldn't _breathe._

She felt arms wrap around her and hold her tight, pinning her arms to her sides, and Nina's frantic voice.

"Patricia! Patricia! Trudy get Joy, get someone, anyone, god, Patricia! Patricia what's happening tell me, what's wrong, god, Trudy hurry get help get someone now! Come on Patricia I'm right here, I'm right here!"

Darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Kay guys, so it's been a while. Sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger... I'm such a dick. But House of Anubis, (much like a dick) is not owned by me. Unless I'm a hermaphrodite. Which really wouldn't be any of your business. So fuck off. ;P**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Voices. Hushed, hissing, whispering murmurs from all sides, surrounding her in the darkness, swallowing her whole. Dragging her down, farther, deeper into the abyss. Her vision was clouded in the blackness, occasional darts of something she couldn't describe flitting in and out of her periphery; a darker, deeper shade of black than she had ever seen, melding into the darkness like a cloud and yet retaining it's presence, neither here nor there, _mocking_ her with snide grins and condescending snarls haranguing her inadequacy, her incapability to defend those she loved. Warm tears spilled from her eyes though she felt nothing at all; nothing but the dark, nothing but the tears meandering down her face, the acrid scent of something metallic; copper, maybe?

The hushed murmurs ceased. Nothing but the pounding of her heart beating on valiantly in her chest, racing and fluttering against her ribcage like a trapped, frantic bird, suffocating in this dark and unable to break free.

She couldn't breathe.

Panic rose in her throat and she choked on her own fear, fighting so desperately to move, to get free. Futilely she fought with her own body, muscles tense and straining, yet unmoving as she tried so _passionately_ to escape. The feeling was there again, the one that told her she wasn't alone here in this abyss... Her chest felt ready to burst, burning, craving the oxygen she so desperately needed but couldn't take in. It shouldn't be possible. How was her heart still pounding, her adrenaline pumping? The feeling was agony.

_Please, dear god just let me die... Please..._

She imagined that it must feel like this to drown, and the thought set her even more on edge...

The choking, the coughing... Maybe even pulled to land, only to die a slow death in the sand...

A chill feeling swept up her spine... She wasn't alone.

_Now do you know? Can you feel it, dearest niece? The pain? Osiris's whelp, come at last._

Something about that word pulled at her, tied her guts in tightly wound knots. She'd heard it before... It twisted and whispered it's way into her mind, echoing with a voice she simply couldn't place.

The constriction of her throat had returned, and her eyes watered as she struggled to catch a breath.

_Trapped for so long, little one... Trapped all alone in the dark... This place will become your tomb._

She was choking now, sand filling her lungs and rasping at her throat. Her hands clawed desperately at her neck as she fought to breathe, unbridled, animalistic terror flooding her. She tried to speak, to cry out, but no words came.

_Silence, harbinger..._

Patricia gasped in a ragged, frantic breath as her airway cleared at last and she dropped to her knees, coughing violently and grasping her neck with her hand.

As the coughing fit subsided at long last, she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, panting.

She had to fight back a cry at what she saw.

There was no mistaking that the blood smeared across the back of her hand was her own.

The whispers engulfed her once more, echoing in her head, her mind, all around her. They were broken, shattered, mere fragments drifting and occasionally forming a cracked, incomplete whole.

_... In the dark... hearts... hooked..._

_Dead eyes... follow... You look..._

_Hidden... This crypt... Cold..._

_...sign... life... wings of gold..._

_"Oh god, please, please... Patricia, please... You can't do this... You can't leave... You can't leave me here without you... Please, please don't go..."_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

"What happened?"

"I dunno. I heard Nina shout and people are saying Patricia's..." he trailed off, his stride faltering.

"... Patricia's what..?" Joy questioned quietly, dreading the reply she'd known in her heart the instant he'd spoken those words. "...Will she be okay?" she whispered, voice soft and scared.

Fabian shook his head bitterly, his emotions uncertain and his heart full of self loathing. He had failed Nina... Failed Patricia. The look in Nina's eyes as she'd burst through his bedroom door, so afraid, so desperate. She'd needed him. And what had he... What had she found in his place?

_A snake._ He thought bitterly. _A disgusting, traitorous snake..._

"Fabian...?"

Fabian shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "I don't know," he said at last through gritted teeth, hands curling into fists. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, fucking stupid idiot-_

"Oh god. What happened? Did you see how it happened, what was she doing?"

"_I-I don't k-know,_ we got home from the movies and she just- she just ran ahead a-and... _Oh god._ I-I don't know. She won't wake up-"

Momentarily, he forgot his guilt. Watching Nina cry, seeing her scared, hurt, betrayed... It tore his heart to pieces and he got down on his knees behind her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. "Shhh... Shhh Nina, Nina it's going to be fine, she's going to be fine..."

Mick was leaning over Patricia's still form, eyes helpless and confused. "I don't know what to do! She has a pulse and she's breathing but she won't get up and I've never even seen this on the field, I don't get why it would take her this long-"

Patricia gave a violent, rasping cough, eyes shooting open and full of terror; Mick jumped back in alarm, startled. "_Joy-_ where's Joy? Is she alright?"

"I'm fine, perfectly fine! But you..." Joy helped Patricia to her feet, finding herself lost for words. She couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around the relief she was feeling, and she pulled Patricia into a hug, grinning warmly. Then, scowling and punching Patricia's shoulder just hard enough to make her flinch,"You scared me, you!"

Patricia smiled exhaustedly. "Sorry," she apologized with a little smile.

"It's okay," Joy said, smiling softly. A pleasant warmth spread through Patricia as she felt her friend reach out to touch her hand gently, almost a little hesitant, and both girls glanced up, meeting each other's eyes for a few seconds before hurriedly looking away, blushing.

Trudy cleared her throat. "Right, well I'm just glad you're both alright, dears! What happened exactly?" she questioned, and Joy gave her a grateful look before turning back to Patricia, frowning a little in confusion.

"Yeah, what did happen? I was in my room and then Fabian came and said there was an accident..."

Fabian felt his heart shatter as Nina tensed in his arms.

"I don't really know. We got back from the movies and she ran ahead... I tried to catch up but by the time I did she was out cold. You were moving like a bullet, Patricia. It was scary."

"I just... I thought I heard something, that's all," Patricia whispered uncertainly. Joy was fine; Patricia was acutely aware of the girl's warm hand comfortably intertwined with her own, and the immense relief she was feeling was almost unbearable. She wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in her arms and spin her around.

So what had that horror, that... That _nightmare_ meant?

"But why did you-"

"I was dying of thirst. It's okay now. I'll get some water or something. I'll be okay guys, really."

Joy looked concerned. "I'll come with. Just to make sure, you know? I don't want you falling down the stairs or anything."

"Sure," Patricia agreed with a little smile, Joy's fingers still comfortably intertwined with her own.

"Yeah, you guys should go, just... Yeah. Feel better, Trixie. See you at dinner?" Alfie asked hopefully, and Patricia nodded.

"Course."

It didn't take long for the sound of casual chatter to return to the mess hall once Joy and Patricia had left, and Fabian let to of Nina awkwardly, clearing his throat and straightening out his shirt.

"Nina, look I... It wasn't what it looked like..."

There was a long moment of silence between them.

"So... Then... What was it?" Nina whispered weakly, her voice cracking.

Fabian felt his heart break as he saw tears welling in Nina's eyes. "No, I just- she was lonely, we were just watching a movie, I... I must have fallen asleep, it was Gattica, you know how I am about that movie. We were just- we just fell asleep. I swear, Nina, I swear I just..."

"...You just fell asleep with her head on your chest?" she questioned miserably, looking like a hurt puppy. He grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

"Nina, I- it was a mistake, I didn't mean to. I'd never, I couldn't, Nina I swear I would never..."

His protests faded into white noise. She felt numb. Like nothing in the world was real. Because how could he do this? How could he just _hurt_ her this way? Because she'd been _so_ certain he was different. Because apparently, he wasn't.

"I thought you were... I thought you were... _Different_," she whispered, finally giving up on the uphill battle she had been fighting so desperately, the one to contain her tears. They spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks like a cascading river as she shook with tears.

"Nina..."

"Just... Just leave me alone. _Leave me alone,_" she snapped, sorrow suddenly turning to bitter anger. How could he do this? Why? He went to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shoved it away. "Just get away from me. Leave me alone, Fabian. _Leave me alone!_"

He watched her stride out of the mess hall with tears in his eyes.

_"It wasn't supposed to be like this..."_

* * *

**I'm just so mean. Why can't I just let them be happy? WHY AM I SUCH A JERK?**

**Is it because I ran out of goldfish? Because these pants are too tight? Because I can't see the back of my head? Maybe it's all three. (seriously though, what is going on in the back of my head. I know it's up to something.)**

**Either way, I beseech thee to review. Reviews are like delicious chocolate covered peanuts, and hell, who doesn't like those? I mean, other than people who are lactose intolerant and allergic to peanuts. Cause I think that a chocolate covered peanut would actually make an efficient suicide pill for them. You know, like if they were ever captured by Rufus.**

**At least they would die deliciously.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Nathalia Ramos is no longer on the HoA project, and they have confirmed a third season. This could go one of two ways. Season three could be amazing. It could blow our minds and make our fantard hearts EXPLODE with joy.**

**Or it could be like Ke$ha's second album, taking something amazing and lighting it on fire before peeing on it, and offering it up as a sacrifice to the gods of terrible music/TV.**

**...I'll stop ranting now. Happy reading!**

* * *

The castle was silent that night.

Try though she did, sleep eluded Patricia. The day's events plagued her thoughts like a disease, and all she could see when she closed her eyes...

She felt her heart lurch, and she rolled over to face the wall, heaving a deep sigh and curling up into a ball under the blankets. It was all she could do not to sob.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _She wondered miserably, dreading the moment when she would have to close her eyes, when she would have to so much as blink. When she would see Joy's beautiful, flawless face drained of blood, her eyes dull and devoid of life.

She'd heard rumors from Nina. She didn't want to believe them. Because Joy wouldn't sleep with Fabian. Not her Joy. Not while he had a girlfriend... Not when she _knew_ Patricia was so _ridiculously_ in love with her.

"Can't sleep?"

Joy's soft, mournful voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she gave a deep sigh.

"Yeah," she replied dully, "something like that..."

Patricia heard her roommate's covers rustling as Joy got out of bed, footsteps light as she made her way over, sitting down at the foot of the goth girl's bed. "Same," the little brunette admitted with a quiet sigh, brown eyes focused on a point beyond what either girl could see.

They sat there in silence for a while, both unsure what to say, or if there was anything to say at all.

"...What happened today?" Joy asked at last as she lied down next to her friend, voice soft in the dark. "I haven't seen you that scared since... Well... Since Victor... You know. Took me away..."

Patricia was silent for a long time. Finally,

"Joy, I know."

Joy looked puzzled. "Know what?"

Patricia closed her eyes. "I know. About you. You and Fabian. Amber told me."

Silence.

"Patricia..."

"Is it true?"

"...Patricia... It's not what you think... "

Patricia rolled over to face her friend, their eyes meeting in the dark.

At long last, "...Alright. I'm listening," she said with a deep breath, sitting up and offering Joy a half-hearted little smile of encouragement. Maybe it was because Patricia wanted so desperately to believe her. Maybe it was just out of sick curiosity. But she had to know. She _needed_ to hear Joy's side of the story.

She didn't know what to say. Where to start. How could she even _begin_ to explain... What she had done was so wrong. She _hated_ herself for it.

"...Joy?" Patricia prompted gently, desperately.

"You confused the _fuck_ out of me Patricia Williamson, you know that?"

"I... What?"

"Fabian. I wouldn't have... I shouldn't have. But I had to know because I just... I _needed_ to know. I had to know. I didn't sleep with him Patricia. I didn't even kiss him. I didn't. I just. I just needed to know..."

"...know what?"

Joy looked at her, eyes full of uncertainty. "I just needed to know. I had to know if I... I didn't think I... I just didn't know. I didn't get it, and it scared me, and I just, I didn't know and I... I didn't think I, I didn't know what to do..."

"...what?"

Joy took a deep breath, chewing her lower lip nervously. "I... I don't know how to explain it."

It was all Patricia could do to stop herself turning away again. She closed her eyes, trying not to burst out in frustration. "Joy... Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, doing her best to hide her frustration. The little brunette knew her better though, picking up on the tense and bitter note in the other girl's voice.

"Doing what?" she asked, sounding regretful. She already knew the answer all too well, and it hurt to watch her friend stumble through this uncertainty. Why couldn't she just _say_ it?

Patricia's control was waning, an undercurrent of desperation seeping into her voice. "This," she exclaimed, "all of it... Am I just... What am I to you, a toy? Stop playing with me for christ's sake!"

"... Patricia, I... I'm not, I'm not trying to, I swear, I just..." she trailed off as Patricia's eyes met hers in the dark, desperate and pleading for answers. "Patricia... I just... I wasn't sure, and... And I... I guess I... I just..."

Joy fell silent, and Patricia blinked as the girl's brown eyes met hers.

"Just..."

She was so close. Patricia's mind had gone blank; she could feel the smaller girl's soft breath on her lips, hear her heart racing in her chest as Joy's eyes fluttered shut in the dark and she leaned in.

Joy's warm lips brushed hers softly; as if shocked by some kind of current Patricia's eyes flew open wide and she looked away, heart racing and breathing coming fast. Joy looked at her friend in concern, confusion evident in her brown eyes.

Brushing a few stray hairs from Patricia's ponytail back with her fingers, Joy watched her friend shiver at her touch. "But I thought..."

Patricia sat up against the bed post, brushing away Joy's hand with an expression of uncertainty. Tucking her knees up under chin and resting her head in the nook between them, she looked at the ground, unable to look her friend in the eyes. "Joy just... Just stop... please," she whispered, voice cracking as she fought back tears of frustration. "I'm not your fucking experiment... Just... Stop..."

Joy felt her heart twinge with pain, eyes regretful and concerned as she reached out and held Patricia's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "Patricia... Patricia, look at me."

Patricia glanced up despite herself, meeting her friend's eyes for a moment.

"...You are _not_ an experiment. Hear me?"

"...What?"

"You, are, not, an, experiment..." the brunette whispered breathily, hazy chocolate eyes closing as Patricia closed the gap between them, her blue eyes fluttering shut. Patricia eased out a labored breath as Joy devoured her lips hungrily, oxygen swiftly loosing priority in favor of the delicious, soft lips crashing against her own that couldn't be mistaken.

"Do you... Do you really... Mean it?" Patricia murmured with what little air she had left, mourning the loss of Joy's lips against her own as the brunette brushed her lips over Patricia's ear, hot breath sending chills through the goth girl's body.

"What do you think?" she questioned as Patricia pulled her back in for another kiss, snatching the breath from her lungs.

The question didn't really need an answer. The two broke apart for air, breathing ragged. Deep blue met molten chocolate brown and a content little smile graced Patricia's lips, satisfaction matched only by the relief in her best friend's eyes.

They lay there for a while just grinning, and Patricia kissed her friend on the cheek, all the world's troubles lost to her in that instant. "Promise?" she asked softly, and Joy nodded, snuggling up closer as Patricia wrapped her arms around her, closing her eyes. She wasn't sure what tonight made them exactly, but it didn't really matter to her just then.

Joy breathed out a deep breath. Of all the things she wasn't sure about... well, she knew this wasn't on the list. This was right. It _had_ to be.

A content little smile still curving her lips, she closed her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Do you know how frustrating this is? I had an amazingly witty author's note planned for the end of this chapter. And I can't remember it. Stupid, STUPID brain. Damn you.**

**For the sake of my lack of witty comments... Please, review. I beseech thee.**


	15. Chapter 15

Fabian swore he could cut the tension that night with a knife. He didn't know what to do with himself. What was he supposed to say, what was he supposed to do? Should he even say anything at all? Maybe it would be better to wait a while and let her cool off- but would she think he was ignoring her? What would happen then?

He heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head as if trying to clear his thoughts and stumbling out of bed. It was pitch black, and he muffled a curse as he stubbed his toe on Nina's bag, freezing in place when the girl shifted in her sleep on the other side of the room. She sniffled, rolled over onto her side, shuffled a little to get more comfortable; he let out a relieved sigh, knowing she was nowhere near waking up. It felt wrong, sneaking out at night without her like this, but he needed to think. He had to get away, just for a little while. Everything he loved was unraveling, falling apart at the seams, and then there was him- just watching crash down in flames around him.

Helpless. Confused. Scared.

What if this was it? What if he'd blown it, messed it up, lost it all? Lost Nina?

And what if he couldn't get her back?

It was as if he was in his own world as he wandered aimlessly through the torch-lit hallways of the castle, lost in his thoughts, lost to the rest of the world. He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking, how long he'd been thinking, but it was the sound of Jerome Clarke's voice that brought him spiraling back to reality.

"Spat with your girlfriend, Rutter?"

Fabian scowled angrily. "Butt out, Jerome. It's not like you were any help. Get out of my face."

Jerome raised his eyebrows. "Ooh, fiesty. Chill out loverboy, I'm just having some fun. What's got your panties in a knot, hmm?"

The question was sincere, and Fabian heaved out a sigh. It was hard to stay angry with Jerome when he hadn't really done anything wrong. The blond was just screwing around; it was how he coped, and everybody knew.

That didn't make it any less irritating in the heat of the moment though.

"Sorry, Jerome. I just... ugh. I don't know how to explain it, really," he admitted.

Jerome nodded understandingly as the two strolled aimlessly through the torch-lit corridors. "Lemme guess," he began, hands in the pockets of his flannel plaid pajama bottoms, "life is just ass right now and everything's confusing and hurting, but you don't know how to fix it, or what to do. Am I right?"

Fabian blinked, halting momentarily in his stride. He was slightly shocked by Jerome's almost disturbingly accurate diagnosis.

"Guess I'm right, then," Jerome stated as he noticed Fabian's hesitation, and Fabian nodded, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts as he continued walking.

"I... yeah, pretty much," he admitted with a small sigh, looking up at Jerome almost curiously. "How'd you know?"

The blond just shrugged, giving a noncommittal grunt. "Just do, I guess," he answered vaguely, then, almost as if to change the subject, "You still haven't answered my question, Rutter."

"Huh?"

Jerome sighed dramatically in exasperation. "My question. What's messing with you? Is it Nina?"

"I... yeah, kinda, but I mean... no, it's just... ugh," he fell silent, taking a moment to organize his thoughts before he spoke as Jerome waited patiently. "It's just... Nina... Nina thinks I slept with Joy."

Jerome's eyes were wide, and he blinked in surprise. "Well did you? I mean-"

"No, I didn't," Fabian cut him off bitterly, irritated. The last thing he needed was more rumors flying around without his knowledge.

Slightly abashed by the stern reproach, Jerome cleared his throat awkwardly and readjusted his shit before his hands returned to their normal homes in his pockets. "Right. Uh, sorry. So. Why does she think you fucked Joy?"

Fabian choked, stumbling a little and shooting Jerome an irritated look. "Have you got to say it like that?" he asked a little weakly one he had composed himself, and Jerome chuckled, clapping him on the back.

"What's wrong? Can't handle a few mature terms?"

Fabian scowled. "That's hardly my definition of mature, Jerome."

Jerome rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Sorry. Guess I just forget who I'm talking to sometimes. Won't screw around anymore if that's what floats your boat."

Fabian took a deep breath. An apology meant quite a lot, coming from Jerome. "It's alright," he said with a small smile. "I get it, it's hard sometimes."

Jerome nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, it is... So why does Nina think you slept with Joy...?"

Fabian's face flooded with embarrassment even without the presence of Jerome's vulgar language, and he cleared his throat anxiously, looking up at Jerome uncertainly.

As if sensing the shorter teen's nervousness, Jerome gave a reassuring smile. "Look, Fabian. I know I can be an asshole sometimes. Actually a lot of the time and I'm quite proud of it. But this is obviously important to you and I'm not a completely heartless bastard, okay? You're like a little brother. It's my job to piss you off and drive you up the wall. But if it's important, I'm here. So spill."

Fabian grinned up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah, really. Don't get all sappy on me, I don't do sappy. Just spit it out."

Still smiling a little, Fabian nodded. "Right well... well while Nina was out with Patricia at the movies, me and Joy watched Gattica together in her room. I mean, it just... she fell asleep on my shoulder. But I mean, before we watched we were just talking and messing around, and she, I don't know. She tried to kiss me and I think I was going to kiss her back, but she just, I don't know, she freaked out or something. Then we watched the movie, and I guess she got bored, because she fell asleep on my shoulder but... I mean, I don't think she meant to, but she did, and at the end of the movie I realized she was asleep. And I was tired and comfortable and I just... I kinda fell asleep with her. Then Nina and Patricia came home and Patricia collapsed and all, and Nina ran upstairs to get Joy because she's Patricia's best friend, and... I guess... yeah. And we're over now and I don't know what to do. I think I might actually love her. Is that bad?"

Jerome blinked, a little taken aback by the flood of words from the other boy's mouth.

"I, err, wow. I don't really know. Have you tried talking to her?"

Fabian was swift to shoot him a deadpan stare that made the answer quite clear.

"Right right, of course you have. Sorry. Look... I've never really been in that kind of situation. But the best advice I can give you is that-"

"Wait, how have you never been in my situation? You're sleeping with half the girls in the school!" the surprised and almost accusatory outburst made Jerome chuckle.

"Fabian, the key is not getting caught."

"Well I did get-"

"Yeah, caught. I know. Crappiest part is that you literally got caught doing absolutely nothing. But you're caught all the same. Best advice I can give is to try to make it up to her. Somehow."

Fabian rolled his eyes. "Well gee, thanks for that amazing insight, Jerome-"

"I wasn't done yet."

The brown-haired boy sighed. "Alright. Finish, then."

"As I was saying, you should try to make it up to her somehow. Don't be blunt about it. Be nice. Comfort her when she's down if you can. Show her you're not all bad. Then apologize. And be honest. Tell her exactly what happened. Tell it like it is. She'll understand."

"You think so?"

Jerome gave a small encouraging smile. "Fabian, _please_. It's _Nina_. Of _course_ she'll get it."

Fabian spared a smile. "Yeah. You're probably right," he admitted reluctantly. Then, almost as an afterthought, "When did you become such an expert on relationships anyway?"

Jerome tensed a little, barely noticeable in the dark.

"Guess I just am," he said swiftly, noncommittally.

"Right. Goodnight, then. And thanks a lot Jerome. Really. I mean it. Thanks."

Hesitation, then, "Yeah. G'night. And you're welcome. Any time. Goodnight."

And while it could have been a trick of the light, Fabian swore he could have seen Jerome glance ever so nervously at Mara's room across the hall.


	16. Chapter 16

Pandora's Box: Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: FUCK YEAH SUMMER!**

**Ahem. Now that I've got that out of my system, I'm thrilled to tell you all that as I am officially out of school for the summer, updates will be regular, my schedule will no longer be rotting in hell with my math teacher, and chapters will be proper length! (And the plot thickens, as they say...)**

**With that in mind, happy reading, and an even happier summer!**

* * *

Patricia blinked the sleep from her eyes, a warm, drowsy smile spreading over her lips as her eyes fell upon Joy, sleeping soundly beside her without a care in the world, long hair framing her face like a dark halo.

_She's gorgeous, _she reflected as she brushed a couple stray hairs away from Joy's forehead, gently tucking them behind the girl's ear and breathing out softly. She glanced up at her alarm clock just in time for it to fill her ears with it's harsh tone, snapping her out of whatever resemblance of drowsiness she'd been stuck in.

_Stupid thing!_

She scowled, reaching over Joy's sleeping form towards the night table with the air of someone who was just about fed up, fully intending to end the clock's miserable, mechanical life.

_BZEEP BZEEP BZEEP BZEEP-_

With one final herculean effort, she stretched for it, hitting the snooze button with quite unnecessary force and collapsing back into bed, reveling in her victory. As long as it hadn't woken Joy, she was perfectly content, closing her eyes and preparing to drift back to sleep without issue. It wasn't hard for her to fall back asleep; but Joy... Joy was a whole different story. It was near impossible to get the girl back into bed once she was awake, no matter what odd hour of the day it was.

_Yes,_ she thought happily, content. _As long as Joy was asleep..._

_BZEEP BZEEP BZEEP BZEEP BZEEP_

She jerked awake, startled and irritated beyond compare. _What the hell!_

Once more she reached for the alarm, stretching her arm out over Joy, leaning farther and farther. She was almost there-

"Patricia...?"

Eyes wide, Patricia looked down, finding herself face to face with a bemused Joy. Almost immediately it occurred to her that she was practically lying on top of the brunette in her pursuit of the alarm clock, and she blinked, blushing madly.

After a moment, "Alarm clock," she explained sheepishly, tapping the off button, and Joy smiled in amusement, leaning up to peck her on the cheek.

"You could have just let me do it," Joy mused, and Patricia smiled, flopping back down onto her side of the bed and wrapping an arm around the smaller girl, who hummed contentedly.

"I wanted to let you sleep late for once," she sighed, "Guess it didn't work, huh."

Joy shook her head. "Not this time I guess. Thanks, though."

"Mhm. So, first day of summer vacation. Wanna sleep in? If you can, I mean."

Smiling warmly and closing her eyes, Joy buried her face in the crook of Patricia's neck. "Definitely," she murmured into the girl's soft skin, and Patricia smiled, eyelashes matting as her eyes slid shut, more than content to block out the early morning light. If this wasn't perfection, she didn't know what was.

She could feel herself drifting off to sleep, Joy's comfortable warmth enveloping her as the girl snuggled closer. It was the sound of Joy's voice, however, that brought her back to the waking world.

"Patricia?" Joy spoke softly, drowsy chocolate eyes fixed on Patricia's green ones.

"Yeah? Everything okay?"

Joy nodded, but her brows were furrowed slightly as she replied, "Mhm... I was just... I was just wondering, though. You never told me for real last night. I mean, well... what happened yesterday? I don't mean to intrude I just, you seemed so afraid and I-"

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. It's fine you're asking," Patricia replied a little falteringly, taken off guard by the question. "I just... I don't know how to explain it, give me a minute."

It was hardly a secret to either of them that she was taking time to deliberate if she should tell the truth; but why she was doing so, Joy had no idea. What could possibly be so bad that Patricia had to lie about it? To her best friend... maybe more than that, even? The thought brought yet another line of questioning to Joy's mind, but she pushed it back for the moment. She didn't really want to deal with that right now. She was happy, and she had no intention of ruining that. But still, the question gnawed at her. What could possibly be so terrible that Patricia would hide it? They'd been best friends since they were children. There was nothing they hadn't shared together.

_Will she think I'm crazy?_ Patricia hesitated in her train of thought, giving herself a moment to think on it. _It's crazy, yeah. But it's not... it's not, Victor level crazy, is it? I mean... it was just a hallucination but... but then there was the dream. What about that part? Maybe I am crazy. Maybe it was a nightmare. Fuck, I don't even know..._

She took a deep breath, deciding she couldn't keep it hidden forever. "I just... when I came home, I thought I heard something," she admitted, chewing her lower lip, the fear she'd felt in that moment slowly seeping back into her mind without permission. She clenched her teeth as she recalled the horrible choking sensation from the day prior with startling clarity, blinking and trying to clear her thoughts so she could go on.

_What if I shouldn't? _Despite the desperation she felt for Joy to comfort her, tell her she wasn't crazy, she couldn't shake the feeling she was doing something terribly wrong and dangerous.

"What was it?" Joy prompted, not impatiently, simply curious and slightly concerned. Patricia frowned, suddenly finding herself at a loss of words to properly describe what she had experienced.

"It was like... like a scream, in a way. Yeah... It was like a scream. It was familiar, though. It... It scared me."

"...Who was it?"

"I don't know... I'm not sure. Joy... I'm not crazy."

Joy's eyes softened at that. "Of course you're not," she stated firmly, giving an oddly sad little smile. "Look, whatever it is... I mean, after this year? Crazy seems to be pretty normal around here, am I right?"

Patricia hesitated, then nodded, trying to shake the fear from her mind. "Right. I mean... I don't know who it was. But... It scared me. Worried me. I had to know... I was afraid. I got to the dining room and the chandelier..." she trailed off again. It was all she could do not to stop entirely. The overwhelming urge she was feeling to stop talking _at once_ was stronger than any she'd felt before. It was like the gravity of the prior day's events was pulling her down, crushing her beneath their weight.

"...Patricia?"

"Sorry. What was I up to?"

Joy looked concerned, worried by Patricia's abnormally jumpy behavior. "You were up to the chandelier," she explained hesitantly. What was going on? "Look, you don't have to tell me if it upsets you, I get it if you don't want to-"

"No, I do!" Patricia cut her off with an air of urgency, before realizing how desperate she'd sounded and trying to regain her rapidly deteriorating composure. "I mean I just, I want to tell you but, ugh, I don't know. Alright. Let me just... I was up to the chandelier, right?"

Joy nodded, looking more and more skeptical as Patricia's behavior seemed to grow all the more strange by the second.

"Well... I ran to the dining room and the chandelier... I saw it. It was there, it was so real. It had fallen and you... it had... I thought you were dead..."

"What?"

"The chandelier had fallen... there was blood. There was blood everywhere... I thought I'd lost you."

Joy was in shock as Patricia looked at her nervously, awaiting her reaction.

After a long moment of silence, Joy took a deep, measured breath. "So... what happened next?"

Patricia's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You're not..."

"Afraid? No, I'm not... Patricia... after everything we've been through... I did almost die. I'm not afraid anymore. If there's something I can do to help you feel better, even if it's just listening to you, I want to do it. Okay?"

Despite the fear and worry still lingering in the pit of her stomach, Patricia felt a small and immensely grateful smile slip onto her face. "... Thank you."

However, as Joy gave her one final hug and stood up to get dressed, Patricia's stomach flipped. She couldn't keep this secret. Not by herself.

"Joy... That's not all," Patricia said softly, quietly, almost as of she didn't actually want the other girl to hear her.

But to her apparent dismay, hear it she did. Joy looked at her with eyebrows raised, curious but not prying for the concept of a further explanation. "What was it? The rest, I mean...?" she asked hesitantly, seeing the dread in Patricia's eyes and not wanting to upset her further.

"I... I had a dream. A nightmare. While I was unconscious I... Something terrible happened. I dreamt it did at least..."

Dreaming while unconscious? Joy felt worry spark inside of her at the thought. People didn't dream while unconscious, they'd learned that in biology in their first year. People were not supposed to dream while unconscious. They just weren't. The thought of Patricia having done so, and having had a nightmare at that, chilled her to a degree, and she could tell it was the same for Patricia. Despite the fearless mask the girl was trying to hide behind, the effort was futile. Even if the mask hadn't been so cracked and damaged, even if it hadn't been falling apart before her very eyes, Joy had learned long ago to see straight through it rather effortlessly. And right now?

Right now, Patricia was afraid.

"That shouldn't be-"

"Possible, I know. I don't always sleep in biology you know."

Joy smiled playfully.

"Only ninety-five percent of the time, right?"

Patricia gave a short nod. "Ninety-five percent," she confirmed proudly, and Joy rolled her eyes, exhausted but amused by her friend's shenanigans. Crossing her arms over her chest and letting out a small huff,

"Well I'm glad you haven't let your standards slip."

Patricia gave a cocky grin. "Never," she stated firmly. Then, in a more serious tone, "Joy, I know it shouldn't be possible. That's why I'm worried..." she trailed off, memories of the horrible choking sensation returning to the back of her mind. "I don't know where I was. But I was choking- I felt like I was choking. It was horrible. Someone was mocking me..."

"Who was it?"

Patricia shook her head a little, closing her eyes. "I'm not sure," she admitted, frowning. Then, "but it was just a nightmare. It doesn't matter... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Joy looked at her uncertainly for a moment, but then nodded slowly. "It's okay," she assured the girl. "But maybe we should say something to Nina, you know, what with her being the chosen one and all. Right? I mean you can never be too careful."

Patricia nodded, but looked slightly uncomfortable. "Right," she agreed. "There's really only one problem with that that I can see."

Joy looked perplexed. "Huh?"

"Nina," Patricia said pointedly, and Joy blinked as the realization hit her.

"Oh..." she muttered, more to herself than to Patricia. Then, again, "Oh. Right..." she tried to keep the blush from showing on her face as she realized she'd been so caught up in last night's events that she had almost entirely forgotten her predicament with Fabian and Nina, but failed miserably. Patricia looked at her sympathetically.

"Look, Joy, don't worry. It's going to be fine, I'm sure of it. Nina's very forgiving. She's good like that. It's going to be fine."

Joy sighed, plopping down onto the bed next to her friend. "I really wish I could believe that," she admitted guiltily. Patricia frowned.

"Joy, did I ever tell you what an absolute _bitch _I was to her?"

Joy blinked, looking up at Patricia curiously. "Huh?"

"I was cruel to her," Patricia continued, something between a grin and a grimace on her face. "I thought she was the reason you disappeared. I thought she was working with Victor."

The tiny brunette quirked a brow. "Really?"

Patricia chuckled. "Err, yeah. Not my finest hour, I admit. I poured water down her front on her first night at the house."

Joy's eyebrows shot up at that. "What?"

"Yeah. You heard me right. I poured water down her front. I made up an initiation ritual too. I thought I could scare her into telling me where they were keeping you..." she trailed off, slightly embarrassed. "...And, well, you know. Turns out she wasn't working for Victor. I felt terrible, and here I am, thinking this girl is going to hate me forever, right?"

"Right," Joy agreed.

"But I say sorry anyway, because I feel bad. And she forgave me. Just like that. No questions asked. I still don't get it, to be completely honest."

Joy was silent for a moment, considering what her friend had said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But, well..."

"Well what?"

"It's not like she's under the impression you slept with her boyfriend."

Patricia bit her lower lip. "Yeah, you're right about that one. Look, how about I tell her? It was my dream, right? She doesn't have to know you were involved. I can leave out the part with the chandelier. How about that?"

Joy hesitated, then nodded. "Right. Sure."

"So we're agreeing to tell Nina?"

"Yeah," Joy replied. "We're going to tell Nina."


	17. Chapter 17

Pandora's Box: Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: We're getting to the good stuff now guys. Stick around with me. Now, on an abnormally serious note, I'd just like to thank all of you for staying with this story for so long! Can you believe it's been over a year? I can't. I love you all!**

* * *

"And you're sure it wasn't just a nightmare?"

Patricia heaved an aggravated sigh. "Yes oh brilliant chosen one, I'm positive okay?"

"But it's impossible to dream while you're unconscious."

Trying her best to be patient with Nina's less than brilliant answers so far, Patricia did all she could to keep the aggravated and condescending grimace off her face. "Yes, that's right," she said as levelly as she could, given the circumstances.

The goth girl could practically _hear_ the gears in Nina's head struggling as she tried to wrap her mind around what had been said.

Finally,

"Then how did you?"

Making a frustrated sound and glaring at the girl, "Ugh, I already told you I don't know! We've been through this! Aren't you the chosen one? Shouldn't you be a pro at deciphering all this mystic mysterious crap? Come on! Joy's life could be in _danger_ here!"

Ninja closed her eyes, massaging her temples. "I know Patricia, I know! It's just, Fabian does most of the technical stuff and he's not here right now so-"

"Did someone say my name?"

Both girls turned at the sound of the familiar voice, met with the sight of Fabian standing in the doorway of the mess hall, looking as awkward as someone who'd just walked in on their parents.

"Yes!"

"No!"

The girls looked at each other irritably.

"What Nina means to say is that we might need your help."

"But not really," Nina added on hastily, looking at Patricia pointedly.

Patricia let out an aggravated huff, arms crossed over her chest. "Nina, this isn't about you!" she growled, exasperated.

"But I can't, I mean I don't want to-"

"Can you two please stop talking about me as if I'm not here?"

Patricia shot him a look fit to kill.

"... Right. Shutting up now. Err, I'll be in my room if you need me," he said uncomfortably, backing out of the room and shutting the door carefully behind him.

Once sure he was out of earshot, Patricia turned back to Nina, who was looking at her like she was out of her mind.

"What the _heck_ was that about!" she hissed furiously, staring daggers at the goth.

Patricia was about fed up, looking at Nina incredulously. "What was that about? Honestly? You've _got_ to be fucking kidding me!"

Nina flinched at her tone. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, Patricia did her best to regain her composure of level-headedness, failing miserably. "Look Nina, someone I love could be in danger! As much as I hate to break it to you, your relationship problems are the least of my worries! Do you get it?"

Nina looked at her oddly.

Realizing her mistake, "Love is used relatively okay?" she snapped. "Either way it doesn't change the fact that Joy could be in danger, and we need Fabian's help!"

Nina sighed."But Patricia..."

Seeing the downtrodden look on the other girl's face, Patricia froze, suddenly feeling terrible. "No no, I didn't mean like that- I just-"

"Don't worry. I get it," Nina said quietly, giving Patricia a small smile. "I guess we're getting Sibuna back together, then."

Patricia's eyebrows flew up. _"No!"_

Nina looked at her quizzically.

Hurriedly, "I just... I want to keep it quiet okay? I don't want to put anyone else in danger. If there is any."

Nina nodded. "Right. Of course. Gosh, I'm loosing my touch here!" she laughed, but then her smile faded. "So... Should I go get Fabian from his room, or..." she trailed off, and Patricia looked at her compassionately.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get him. Okay?"

Looking relieved beyond belief, a grateful smile spread across her face. "Thanks. Where should we meet?"

"Not here. It'll be lunch time soon and this place won't be private at all. At least we won't have to make up crappy excuses to leave the dinner table, though. How about by the lake? Alfie never misses lunch, and he won't be back out there for a while."

"Good idea," Nina agreed. "So I'll see you there?"

Patricia nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

There was a moment of silence between them.

Finally,

"And... Patricia?"

Patricia paused in her stride, looking back at Nina curiously.

"Yes?"

"... Thanks. For getting it."

Patricia smiled sympathetically.

"Anything for an old friend, right?"

Nina smiled back. "Right."

* * *

Finding the door to Fabian and Nina's room already open, Patricia paused awkwardly in the doorframe, not sure what to say.

Finally she settled for rapping on the open door, offering a smile when Fabian looked up from the book he'd been reading so intently. He looked faintly surprised, but mostly, he just looked uncomfortable.

Patricia could understand why.

When he didn't say anything, Patricia shifted her weight nervously, hands in her pockets.

"So..."

"I didn't do anything. Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

There was so much grief and sadness in the boy's voice that Patricia was slightly stunned. It took her a moment to realize to what he was referring as he eyed her defensively.

"Fabian, I know. You honestly think I would believe Joy... You and Joy both... Did what everyone seems to think you did? I know Joy. She's my best friend. She would never."

Fabian breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I feel like everyone is against me..."

"Well I'm not," Patricia assured him determinedly. "And I won't be any time soon. You're not the only one hurt by what happened yesterday."

Fabian closed his eyes, nodding solemnly "I know. I shouldn't have-"

"Snuggled up with Joy in her bed to watch Gattica? Yeah, you're right, you shouldn't have. It was a crappy decision. But you can't change it now."

Fabian sighed, nodding. "Yeah. So what do you need?"

Now it was Patricia's turn to feel uncomfortable. "Well... We... Meaning Nina, Joy and I... We need your help. Something happened yesterday that I can't explain. We think it might be important."

* * *

"So in this dream of yours, what happened?"

"I felt like... Like I was suffocating. I thought I was going to die there, in the dark..." Patricia trailed off, remembering the sensation with a chill as she stared out at the lake. "Someone was taunting me. Telling me I would die there."

There was a long silence as she finished recounting the tale. Joy was looking at her with great concern in her chocolate eyes, squeezing Patricia's hand gently in her own. Patricia squeezed back. The last thing she wanted was for Joy to worry. More so now than ever before.

Fabian nodded, looking thoughtful as he pondered what Patricia had said, and Nina watched him anxiously; Patricia was uncertain if it was her dream that had the chosen one so on edge, or if it was simply Joy's presence, both of which would have been justified. Perhaps it was just a combination of the two.

"That last bit sounded out of place... Maybe a riddle, or a code of some sort. Would you mind repeating it...?"

All eyes were on Patricia as she did her best to recall the end of her dream.

"In the dark, hearts, hooked, dead eyes, follow, you look, hidden, this crypt, cold, sign life, wings of gold. That's all I remember. It was broken up. Like someone was talking over it, or it was fading in and out."

"And you're sure you don't remember anything else?"

That was Nina. Patricia shot her an irritated glance.

"Didn't I just say that?"

Nina looked abashed, twiddling her thumbs and making a distinct effort not to look at either Fabian or Joy, as she had the entire time they'd been out by the lake. Patricia was becoming quite sick of it to be honest, annoyed with Nina's melodramatic behavior. One would think that Fabian had killed her cat with a .50 cal and cooked it into a pie, if her behavior was any indicator.

Deciding to leave the girl be, Patricia averted her eyes and did her best to focus on Fabian, who was scribbling something down on a piece of looseleaf paper.

"Alright, so we don't have the entire thing yet. That could be a problem."

"We don't even know if it is a thing," Patricia added, and Fabian nodded in agreement.

"That too. Patricia, do everything you can to try to remember the rest. I'll start trying to figure out the words, in case you can't remember. Joy, you should stay with Patricia. Or at least out of the mess hall, so we can be sure you're safe."

"Got it."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Looking at Nina, Patricia instantly felt bad for the girl. Suddenly, the American wasn't the hero, wasn't the leader. Remembering how difficult it had been for her to accept Nina's leadership over Sibuna last year, (if acceptance was the appropriate word- Patricia still thought she could have run things better after all) the goth girl couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it was for Nina in this moment.

"Do what you do best. Dig up what you can on the history of this place; see if there's anything worth noting. And do me a favor, freshen up on Osiris. I will too. My memory for ancient Egyptian gods isn't very good. Anything at all that you can find would be massively helpful."

Nina perked up at that, nodding enthusiastically, and Patricia smiled to herself.

"Alright. So. Sibuna?"

A chorus of answers echoed the Patricia's call.

"Sibuna."


End file.
